InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Impossible Dreams ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Title: Impossible Dreams

 

Author: dolphingirl0113

 

Chapter: Eight

 

Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

 

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DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.

 

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Kagome felt like her body was being stretched too thin as the sun came up on the sixth day, and still she had found no food, and the bare minimum of water. Her legs were starting to give out, she could feel it as they quivered with every step, and her mind was hazy, begging her to just lie down and rest. But at least the storms had finally decided to leave, allowing the sun to come through and warm her chilled body.

 

Clearly, something was very wrong with the world. She had continued to follow the main dirt road, and yet had seen no carts, horses, or men pass by. That was hard to believe considering where she was. She felt out of touch with reality, and feared what was going on that she didn't know about. Every rustle in the bushes, every snap of a twig under her feet, caused her to jump in fear, whirling around to see who was there, only to find that she was, as she had been for nearly a week, completely alone.

 

“Is this my fate, mama?” She asked, listening as the wind carried her voice away. “Is this how I am meant to die? All alone on a forgotten road?” The thought caused tears to well up in her eyes, and Kagome angrily brushed them off her cheeks as they fell, continuing to stagger onward, determined to find refuge.

 

Every home she'd come across had been looted and burned to the ground, the well destroyed, and the food gone. The only time she'd found water was when a small stream had been near a mansion, and even though the water had been dirty, Kagome had drunk eagerly anyway, and it was thanks to that stream that she was still alive.

 

It was so quiet, and with nothing to distract her, Kagome was constantly thrown back into her memories, of not only her mother, but of the house burning down. New nightmares plagued her sleep, of being trapped in a smoke filled room, and she would wake up wide-eyed with fear, gasping for fresh air, still able to feel the fire in her lungs. No one was there to give her comfort, and Kagome chuckled as she recalled how she had believed before, while still at her home with her father, that she was alone, only now realizing she'd had no idea then what being alone truly meant.

 

“I'm sorry, father,” She whispered as she continued to walk, “For the way I treated you. I must have caused you so much pain, blaming you for all my own suffering. Mama must be so ashamed of me now.” She looked at her hands, filthy with mud and grime, knowing her face must look the same way, and smiled sadly. “I must look so ugly now. Even if I do find other people, they'll just be horrified by what they see.”

 

She continued like that, talking to herself to keep awake and somewhat focused, until a breeze, stronger then before, and in a different direction, nearly blew her over, like a twig in the wind, forcing her to turn slightly to her right to steady herself, and that was when she saw it. A familiar sight, and one that brought joy to her heart.

 

Her grandfather's old home stood before her, untouched, like a safe haven, and for an instant Kagome wondered what would have happened if the wind hadn't caught her up suddenly and forced her to turn. She would have walked right past her salvation.

 

Turning to look up at the sky for an instant, she smiled in love and thanks, knowing it must have been someone who loved her who guided her steps now.

 

The house grew in size as she approached, stumbling several times and even falling down once as her toe caught on a stone hidden beneath the overgrown grass of the front lawn. But she didn't care. It was as though some hidden strength within had come forth now that she could see her chances of survival renewed.

 

Unlike the other homes she had passed, this one still stood strong and steady, with no signs of break-in damage, or fire. Somehow, her grandfather had avoided the hell that was spreading everywhere else in the country, something she would be eternally grateful for.

 

“Grandfather!” She called, her voice surprisingly strong. There was no response, so she staggered on, reaching the steps up to the front door and banging on the wall several times. “Grandfather, it's me! Kagome! Let me in!”

 

Several seconds passed in silence before the sound of shuffling feet reached her ears, and then the blessed sound of the door opening, and Kagome found herself looking at a short old man with white hair pulled back into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, dressed in a blue robe. He was exactly as she remembered him last, and with an exhausted smile, she collapsed against his surprisingly strong body.

 

“Kagome,” his voice was shocked, but filled with relief as he helped his granddaughter into the house, shutting the door quickly. He had seen mobs of men and women pass by his door every day and night, hearing the screaming of their victims, not daring to leave his home for fear of someone noticing him as well, and had decided his daughter's family was dead, not daring to hope that either Kagome or her father had survived. And yet, she was here, with him now, exhausted and dirty, but very much alive, and he felt tears wet the corners of his eyes as he helped her sit down on a large couch near the fireplace.

 

Sitting on something soft was a luxury she had all but forgotten, and Kagome smiled as she fell over onto her side, curling up into a small ball of protected warmth as her grandfather kindled a fire in the large marble fireplace. She was safe. That's all she could think of at that moment. She was safe at last.

 

“Kagome, what's happened?” She heard his voice through the fog of exhaustion, and looked up at him with sad eyes.

 

“Father's dead, as are my friend Hojo and his parents. The slaves attacked without warning, burning the house to the ground and only sparing my life because I'd helped them in the past.” Fresh tears came to her eyes. “It was horrible, grandfather. I was trapped in my own room, with no way out. If Inuyasha hadn't been there, I would be dead now too.”

 

“Inuyasha?”

 

Her eyes were closing, the warmth from the fire seeping into her bones as she felt a heavy blanket pulled up around her ears. “Yes,” she sighed, “He was one of father's slaves. He…saved me…”

 

“A slave saved you?” The old man frowned. “A strange man indeed, to go against everything his comrades are doing right now in the world. That was very dangerous on his part.”

 

Kagome nodded, not having thought of it that way before, but knowing it was true. Those slaves had been mad, nearly crazy, and if they'd taken the time to figure out that Inuyasha had helped Kagome, the daughter of their slave master, they probably would have turned on him too. But then, he could have defended himself…

 

“He wasn't in any real danger, grandfather. He's a hanyou.”

 

“A hanyou, you say?” She watched through hooded lids as her grandfather frowned and seemed to think for a moment. “The royal couple had a hanyou son…” He put a hand under his chin thoughtfully. “Did you say his name is Inuyasha?”

 

“Yes, why?”

 

“Nothing…it's just that, well, I've heard that name before. My instincts are telling me he was a man of great importance before the times of Naraku.”

 

Kagome was interested in what he was saying, but also felt her body giving way to exhaustion, and so finally decided that they would have plenty of time to talk when she woke up. After all, a nap would surely not be something her grandfather would begrudge her, right? And so, as she continued to listen to his soft, gravelly voice, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 

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Inuyasha huffed again in frustration, having to stop and wait for at least the fifth time that day for the rest of the ever-growing group of slaves to catch up to him. They were moving too slow for his liking, especially now that he had his hanyou strength back and could easily cover three to four times the distance they did every day if he were on his own.

 

So why don't you just leave them? A voice inside his head taunted. Inuyasha growled at himself and started stomping away again as he saw Miroku, Sango, and Kouga come into view, Shippou perched on the wolf man's shoulder. He knew very well why he didn't leave. He didn't want to be alone. As annoying as Miroku was, he was the only friend Inuyasha had, and the thought of not having his patience and silent strength nearby was not appealing. Unfortunately, the monk wouldn't leave Kouga or Sango, so the hanyou was stuck.

 

But it was more then that. His nerves were raw, even the slightest sign of irritation setting him off on a wild rampage that only Miroku could calm down with either words of encouragement or a good whack upside the head. And it was all because, he admitted to himself, he was worried about that damnable girl Kagome.

 

Kouga still hadn't found her, even though every day he went off to look for her once the group had settled down for the night. He always returned long after everyone else was asleep, his tail quite literally between his legs and his head low in disappointment and despair. Inuyasha knew he wanted to go out and help the wolf man look, but his pride stubbornly refused to allow him to show such a sign of weakness in front of the others. He didn't need anyone…well, maybe he needed Miroku…but he sure as hell didn't need the presence of a stupid wench to keep him calm.

 

Liar, the voice in his head taunted, and the hanyou grunted. An argument with the others was one thing, but arguments with himself were just downright ridiculous. So, for once, he just ignored his conscience and continued to walk.

 

“Inuyasha, wait up!” He turned around to see Miroku scrambling after him quickly, and slowed his pace slightly to allow the man to reach his side, panting heavily from his exertion.

 

“Did you want something, monk?”

 

“What? Oh, no, I just wanted to talk to someone, that's all.”

 

“You have Sango and Kouga.”

 

“Nah, Kouga's too quiet lately and Sango's mad at me again.”

 

“I've told you before to stop groping her.”

 

The black-haired man just grinned mischievously and shrugged. “I can't help it. She's just too beautiful for her own good.”

 

“More like for your own good,” Inuyasha replied, unable to resist turning up the corners of his mouth slightly. “But what do you mean Kouga's too quiet? Is something wrong with him?”

 

Miroku shook his head. “Nothing serious, just heartbreak.”

 

“What?”

 

“You know, the fact that he still hasn't found Kagome.” The monk didn't notice how saying Kagome's name caused Inuyasha to tense, because he just kept talking. “I don't think any of us realized until now how much he really loves her, though I can't say I blame him. She was a beautiful woman…”

 

“She IS a beautiful woman,” Inuyasha corrected before he could stop himself, only after speaking realizing that he'd made two errors. One, he'd acknowledged that Kagome was beautiful, and two, he'd made it sound like it bothered him to think that she might be dead. The first mistake was pardonable, since a man didn't even need a hanyou's eyes to see that the woman was beautiful, but the second error made him a bit more nervous. It was moving too close to his fear of others thinking he was actually worried about Kagome.

 

Miroku was staring at him as though the hanyou had said something completely unexpected and amazing. “Of course, she IS beautiful, how stupid of me…” He turned to look Inuyasha square in the face. “But I thought you didn't care. Has that changed?”

 

“No!” Inuyasha snapped, quicker then he meant, because now it definitely sounded like he was lying. Damn it! Why was everything so hard whenever she came into his mind? She didn't even have to be real, in front of him, to get him all tongue-tied and acting like a buffoon.

 

“Really?” Miroku arched an eyebrow suspiciously, and the hanyou sent him a glare that warned `push me any further and you'll lose a limb'. It seemed to work, because the monk backed off and changed the subject entirely. “The weather sure has cleared up nicely, hasn't it?”

 

“Keh, whatever,” Inuyasha grunted in reply, looking around at the passing scenery. He turned around and saw that the main group of people were falling behind again, and stomped his foot into the ground in frustration, spattering mud on the bottom edges of his red pants. “Damn it, why can't they move faster? They move like they're walking in molasses or something!”

 

“Don't get mad at them, Inuyasha, there are old women and children with us now. We have to cater to the slowest person in the group.”

 

“No one asked them to come with us!”

 

Miroku sighed, as though he were talking to a mere child. “But they see safety in numbers, and every one of them wants revenge against Naraku as much as you do. Once they heard you were heading for his castle, they figured you were their best chance at exacting their revenge.”

 

Crossing his arms, the hanyou almost seemed to pout. “Well they're pissing me off. Especially those men from the Higurashi home. The arrogant bastards are the ones responsible for sending Kagome away in the first place, even after everything she did for them.”

 

Oops. Mistake number three that day.

 

Miroku looked at his friend with a stunned expression, before his eyes went all starry. “Inuyasha, I had no idea you cared so much. There must truly be something special about this girl to soften your heart like she clearly has.”

 

“My heart's no softer then it ever was baka!” He retorted, his face going red. Why did he have to open his big fat mouth anyway? Now he had really dug himself into a pit he couldn't get out of.

 

Thankfully, he saw salvation in a large home that appeared to still be in perfect condition, which meant the slave riots hadn't reached it yet. He turned to Miroku, who was chuckling to himself, and rolled his eyes. “Just shut up, already, you're pissing me off.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the home. “Let's stay there tonight. It looks safe enough.”

 

Miroku frowned. “It also looks occupied.” He indicated smoke coming from the chimney, and the hanyou groaned in frustration. Great, there was shelter right in front of them and they couldn't use it because it was still occupied by a slave owner.

 

Or was it?

 

Inuyasha couldn't see any slave quarters or fields for harvesting crops. All he saw was the house, sitting at the base of a hill, surrounded by trees. Perhaps whoever lived there had managed to avoid housing slaves? But how was that possible?

 

Finally, after several minutes of silence, he made a decision. Turning around, he held up a hand for silence, and every one of the seventy or so former slaves stopped talking to hear what he had to say, standing still, hovering close together to avoid the chill of the oncoming evening.

 

“There appears to be a home over there that's still in tact where we can stay tonight.” He paused, watching as hope and relief spread across the faces of the men, women, and children before him. “But it also appears that there is someone already living in the home. So we'll have to talk to whoever it is and get permission first.”

 

“Who needs permission?” A man somewhere in the crowd shouted. “We can take the home by force! There's more of us then them!”

 

Inuyasha growled, sick of these foolish men and women who were grating so much on his nerves. He remembered clearly the night Naraku had invaded his home, killing his mother and father and separating him from his elder brother Sesshoumaru. The pain and sorrow of that night was burned onto his heart, never completely scarring over, and he would be damned if he would do the same thing to anyone else, no matter how much he hated slave owners. It was that very conviction that had prompted him to save Kagome in the first place. She didn't deserve to die for the sins of her father any more then he had deserved to be cast into slavery simply because of the name he had been born with as a royal prince. He probably would have even saved her father, if given the chance, simply because he didn't feel right being the one to help murder her family. But it had been too late for him.

 

Shaking his head, he returned to the present situation with his fists clenched and his teeth bared. “We will not attack whoever is in that house. We will ask permission, and hopefully the man, woman, or both who are living there will be merciful and give us shelter for the night.”

 

“Why do we owe them such courtesy?” The same man shouted again, and Inuyasha clenched his fists tighter, feeling blood run down his right wrist from where one of his sharper nails had pierced the skin. He didn't care. His healing abilities were back to normal now that the shard was gone, and there wouldn't even be a scar by morning.

 

A woman joined the man. “Yeah, we owe them nothing. They showed us cruelty, so that's what they deserve from us!”

 

“The only blood I intend to spill, ever again, is Naraku's, along with any of his henchmen who aided in murdering my family and putting me into the hell I've known for the past seven years!” Inuyasha exploded. “I'll be damned if I watch you all attack someone you don't even know and kill him or her like a stupid mob!”

 

“Who are you calling stupid?” A third voice asked, sounding bitter, and Inuyasha growled again, this time loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

“I call anyone stupid and foolish who attacks the occupants of this house. And whosoever chooses such a path, will have to get through me first.”

 

“And who are you to tell us what to do?” The first male voice shouted again, sounding angry. “You weren't even at the Higurashi home more then a few months. We don't know you, or respect you.”

 

Inuyasha smirked. “You don't have to respect me,” He flexed his claws, listening to his knuckles pop. “But you will know, one way or another, that I will not hesitate to rip you apart if you even try to take part in something so low as attacking a helpless family.”

 

A woman stepped forward, crossing her arms and scowling. “And I thought you said you would spill no more blood but Naraku's. You would kill us, your fellow slaves?”

 

“I would kill those of you who would insist on acting like Naraku!” Inuyasha shouted back, but unfortunately his loud voice was only irritating the mass of people even more and, seeing a disaster waiting to happen, Miroku stepped forward, placing a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder comfortingly as he did so.

 

“Friends,” he began in the voice he had learned to use while still learning to be a monk all those years ago, the voice that could calm others. “Haven't we all seen enough pain and destruction in our lives? Aren't you all tired of hearing the screams and wails of pain?” He looked around, and saw some of the women relax slightly, their faces clouding over in painful memory. He felt encouraged, and continued. “Aren't you all tired of watching others hurt their fellow men just to save their own hides?” Several heads nodded. “If you truly hated your slave masters as much as I did, then you know that attacking other people, and repeating what you did at the Higurashi home, only makes you as bad as they. I ask you to rise above such hate, and save such emotions for when we finally come face to face with Naraku.”

 

There was a long pause as everyone seemed to take a deep breath before it became clear that the rage of the mob had quieted once more, and Miroku relaxed his body, dropping his hand from Inuyasha's shoulder as he did so.

 

The hanyou just grunted and turned toward the house, not really wanting to say any more. “Right,” He grumbled, “Let's go then.”

 

He led the way as they trekked across the acre or so of tall grass that had clearly not been tended to for several weeks. Clearly, whoever lived in that house was too afraid to come outside…not that he could blame them.

 

Finally, after a long while, they reached the steps leading up to the door, and Inuyasha motioned for everyone to stop as he, Miroku, Kouga, and Sango approached the front door, Sango tapping lightly on the door knocker. A few minutes later they could hear someone moving inside, and before long the door was opening to reveal a short, old man with white hair. He opened his eyes in surprise to see so many people standing out on his lawn, but somehow managed to keep his composure as he glanced at the four currently at his door.

 

Inuyasha inwardly thanked Miroku for calming the mob. He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if they'd attacked such a helpless looking old man.

 

“May I help you?” He asked in a surprisingly strong voice, considering how old he looked, and Inuyasha snapped out of his trance as Miroku began to speak, always the diplomatic one.

 

“We mean you no harm, good sir,” he began, “But we have no where to go, and were hoping you would be kind enough to allow us to sleep under your roof tonight.”

 

The old man glanced again at the mass of people behind them before looking at Miroku again. “Forgive me, but I have to ask who you are.”

 

“Of course,” Miroku smiled kindly. “We are a group of former slaves who now have no where to go. We stay from night to night in different locations, and have been traveling for a little over a week now.”

 

“Is that so?” He nodded slightly. “And what is your destination, my boy? Where will your journey end?”

 

“We intend to reach the palace where Naraku now lives, and…” He stopped when the old man held up his hand for silence.

 

“I don't need to know your intentions, I'm smart enough to figure that out for myself.” He nodded and sighed. “Of course you may stay here, although most of you will have to sleep on the floor, I only have one spare bed.”

 

“That's not a problem, it's still better then sleeping in the dirt.”

 

“Yes, I can see that.” He sighed again and motioned with his hand toward all the people standing in the lawn, looking rather pathetic. “You're welcome here, my friends. Come inside and I'll get a fire going. Perhaps my granddaughter and I can even fix you all something to eat, if you'd like.”

 

Inuyasha hadn't seen the dirty faces of the former slaves look that happy in a long time as they walked into the house, some of them even taking a moment to clasp the old man's hand and offer him thanks. He grunted in satisfaction, hoping they'd learned their lesson about murdering people in their sleep. They would have thrown away the perfect opportunity to make a new friend. Who knew when having allies would come in handy, after all?

 

Once a fire was going, and everyone was sitting in the large living area, on the floor, on tables, chairs, and couches, the old man smiled and nodded. “I'll go get my granddaughter and have her help me fix some dinner for you all. Does soup sound alright, because I'm afraid that's all I have right now that could possibly feed all of you?”

 

They all nodded eagerly, not having had a hot meal since leaving the Higurashi home, and the man smiled and disappeared, leaving the people to talk.

 

“Luck finally seems to be on our side,” Kouga muttered, coming to lean against the wall beside Inuyasha.

 

“Keh, I wouldn't count on this luck holding forever,” the hanyou grunted in reply. “After all, we're only here for the night.”

 

Miroku joined them, followed by Sango and Shippou. He put a hand under his chin thoughtfully. “I don't think it would be such a bad idea for us to stay a few days and allow everyone to recuperate a little. Some of the children are getting very tired.”

 

“You've lost your mind, Miroku,” Inuyasha sputtered. “Every minute lost is a minute in Naraku's favor, giving him the chance to retaliate and bring us down, sending us back into slavery.”

 

Sango frowned. “I know, Inuyasha, but at the same time, unlike you, we humans can only move so fast and so far every day before we can move no longer.” She looked at the group of happy people spreading out, some dozing off in the warmth of the fire, others talking happily, looking at peace for the first time in several days. “I agree with Miroku. We should give them all a few days rest here before we move on.”

 

Inuyasha was spared arguing any more by the sound of the old man entering the room again, carrying a large pot full of what looked like some sort of vegetable soup. “I'm afraid you'll all have to take turns, I only have twenty cups.” He was so apologetic Inuyasha silently thought the same thing Kouga had said a few minutes earlier. How had they lucked into such a kind man?

 

But all other thoughts fled as he heard a painfully familiar voice sing through the whispered conversations of the people in the room. Her scent, beautifully fresh and like vanilla, hit him like a tidal wave even before his eyes caught sight of her, and when she did finally enter the room, his heart leapt in thrilled excitement, hardly able to believe what he was seeing was real.

 

“Decide who's first and come get your cups,” Kagome called as she walked into the room carrying a box full of tin cups. But she froze suddenly, catching an all too familiar flash of beautiful amber mixed with silver and red, and the bright smile on her face faded as her eyes opened wide in shock.

 

“Inu…yasha…” The box hit the floor, the cups clattering and making a horrific sound in the sudden silence, the slaves recognizing their former master's daughter. But Inuyasha didn't care about any of them. All he could do was move forward and take her in his arms, before he could even think straight and decide it was a bad idea.

 

She fell against him, and he remembered that moment in the mansion when the walls and roof had come crashing down around them, and how he had held her against him tightly to protect her. Then he hadn't had time to really feel her supple body against his, but now his clear hanyou senses were all too aware of her scent, her feel, and her presence, and the part of his soul he hid from the rest of the world was more content in that moment then it had been since his mother was alive.

 

“Kagome…”