InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nightmare's Memories ❯ Haunted By Dreams ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: ::annoyed:: Come on, you don't need to rub it in. . .

Author's Note: ::flashlight under chin in the dark:: Wooooo!

^_^;

Er- hiya! ^_^

And how are we all today?

Gods, I love fall! XD

Anybob- - -

squeakyinuears: ^_^;;; I know- I hate spiders too. ::shivers:: Ugh.

Starlight4u: I know, that happened to me once, too. I used to always sleep with my limbs under the covers, since I thought if I didn't something would cut them off. Then once I got over said fear and slept with my arms out- but I swear I felt someone tap them.

But no one was there.

Obviously, that didn't help my fear any. -_-;

Yes, I know in the manga Naraku and Onigumo are the same; but for now lets just stick with the fact that they are two different people here- though they may have some history behind them, shall we say? (Not THAT kind of history! -_-)

Good luck with all your activities and tests! I know how you feel! ><

Sesshoumarus Luver: What do you need help with? ^_^

Mimiko: Gomen, Mimi-chan!

Ai: ::cocks head:: What part don't you understand?

XCrimsonMoonlightx: I know! I finally had a chance to read it and it was gone! ><

Why?

Well. . . repost it soon! ^_^

OoO Wow. . . pretty! XD ::sticks new dagger in thigh holder:: ^_^_^_^_^ Arigotu, I love it!

I think that's everyone, right?

Well, thankies for all the reviews! ^_^ I feel so loved. . .

Anyway, here we go!

~*~

Have you ever had a bad dream?

A seemingly endless cycle of evil that haunts you through the darkness, wrapping you in a choking blanket of fear and sweat?

I know you have.

Everyone has.

Yet you always awaken from that hell.

But what if your nightmare. . .

Is also your reality?

What do you do then. . .?

~*~*~*~*~

Nightmare's Memories

~*~*~*~*~

~Chapter Three: Haunted By Dreams~

"Oi, wench," snapped the dog-man from somewhere that seemed far away.

Kagome said nothing, her eyes squeezed tightly shut against her salty tears; her body curled into a ball on the rocking, hay strewn, wooden floor.

"Bitch, I'm speaking to you!" he barked again, taking a step closer and kicking her shoulder.

The girl bit her lip against a whimper of pain as his claw-like nails punctured her skin.

"Inu-Yasha," the smooth-voiced male warned softly.

"What?!"

"Leave her alone. . ." the woman murmured from the farthest reaches of the compartment.

"No, god damn it!"

He squatted down next to her and pulled her into a sitting position, which was considerably harder than it sounded since she kept resisting him.

Finally he forced her up and kept her where she was by grasping her wrists and refusing to let go.

But while he refused to loosen his grip, she refused to open her moist eyes.

"Look at me," he growled.

In her mind's eye, Kagome could almost see his amber orbs flashing dangerously.

"You're gonna be here forever, so you might as well get used to the sight of me," Inu-Yasha grounded out.

"No!" she whispered breathlessly, choking on her words as she fruitlessly tugged against his claws. "I don't want to stay here! I want to go home!"

"Tough!"

"Inu-Yasha, you're not helping," a little boy's voice sighed.

"WELL THEN, WHAT THE FUCK DO *YOU* SUGGEST WE DO, RUNT?!"

"Shippo! My name is Shippo, damn it! Call me by my name!" the child fumed.

"What if I don't wanna, runt?!"

"Then I'll blast ya straight to hell!"

"With what?! A burp?!"

"I'll get you for that!"

"Ooo, I'm shaking in my shoes!"

"Ha! Shows how stupid you are! You're barefoot!"

"It's a saying, dumb ass!"

As a loud cry sounded from one side of the room- shortly followed by a series of grunts, snarls, and `wham'ing sounds- Kagome cracked a curious eye open.

In front of her, the tall, silver haired teen was fighting with a little boy around the age of five. His orange hair up in a pony tail, he wore a simple outfit of blue pants, a light blue shirt, and a redish vest which matched his-

Tail?!

"'Upid `unt!" Inu-Yasha spat through the boy's foot- which had been lodged in his mouth moments before. He snarled as he pulled the boy's cheeks.

"Idiot dog!" Shippo cried, waving his small fists in agony as he tried to land a punch on the older boy.

"Children, children! Please!" the smooth voiced male sighed, stepping out of the shadows. He wore a black and violet robe, one hand wrapped in a glove-like covering and tied with prayer beads. His short ebony hair was bound in a low pony tail, and a collection of golden earrings glistened on his ears.

"Stay out of this, Miroku!" Inu-Yasha growled, giving Shippo's ear a painful tug.

"Save me, Sango!" the little boy called into the corner of the train where the outline of a woman stood, keeping a careful distance from Onigumo; who lay forgotten on the other side of the compartment.

Sighing, the female stepped into the brighter lighting of the center of the small room.

She was very pretty. Her long, dark brown hair was tied with a loose ribbon that matched her forest green skirt, pink and white over-sized blouse, and checkered sarong-like apron.

"Let go of him, Inu-Yasha," she commanded, her voice soft but firm.

"No."

"Sorry, kid," she whispered, the fleeting image of a smile on her face. "I tried.

"No fair! Sangoooo!"

"Of for Christ's sake!" Onigumo suddenly grumbled, his words accompanied by the sound of spiders' raining foot falls.

As he spoke, two large, hairy, inky black tarantulas- their spindly legs waving like thin flags- fell like rocks onto Inu-Yasha and Shippo's shoulders, causing both to let the other go rather quickly.

"OH MY GOD!" the boy cried, running in circles and screaming bloody murder until Inu-Yasha picked the arachnid off his body and squished it under his foot.

After doing the same with his own surprise guest, the silver haired boy flopped onto the floor- sitting Indian style- and glared.

While watching, Kagome had slowly opened her eyes to their full extent.

And when everyone calmed down, she couldn't help it.

She began laughing.

*

"So, what's going on?" Kagome asked a little while later.

Amazingly, she felt a bit better.

Sure, she was still cold.

Still hungry.

Still scared.

But. . .

She wasn't alone.

"We're Naraku's little freaks," Shippo shrugged, flopping back on a large pile of hay. "We live in this little compartment, waiting for his command."

"Why?" she questioned, blinking curiously. "Why does he do this? Why do we have to stay? Where do. . .well. . . freaks come from?"

The others fell silent, glancing at one another with sober faces.

"Well?"

"Keh," Inu-Yasha snapped, sitting in a corner with his eyes lightly closed. "Keep your nose out of things that don't concern you, girly."

"My name is Kagome," the ebony haired female glared. "Please use it."

"Feh."

"Besides," she continued, ignoring the dog-like teen, "it does concern me. I'm trapped here, now, too, aren't I?"

Still, no one answered her.

"I think it's time," Sango whispered, peering out a grape-sized knothole in the wall, "to go to bed."

A few spiders dropped loudly to the floor in agreement, but were almost instantly crushed underfoot by the freaks; the arachnids' skeletons making sickening `crunches' as they were destroyed.

After a moment, the weak lighting in the compartment flickered off, leaving everyone in an enveloping silence.

They obviously weren't going to answer her questions.

Sighing softly, Kagome finally crawled over to a small pile of hay and lay down, slowly feeling her eyes grow heavy. . .

~A girl with long, dark brown hair stood alone, surrounded on all sides by the overwhelming scent of death and decay.

Her bound locks danced around her blood smeared face, her body trembling convulsively as rain began falling from the dark-gray sky, mixing with the maroon stained dirt.

"Ko-Kohaku. . .?" she called cautiously, her voice wavering. "Kohaku, are you still there. . .?"

She took a small step forward, only to crumple to the ground, her legs failing her.

Falling over one of the many wet, mangled bodies, she had to clasp her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.

"D-Daddy. . ." she whispered through her fingers, tears welling in the corner of her eyes.

She quickly knelt next to the fallen man, taking in the incurable damage to his corpse.

Like the many other men, woman, and children around him- he was definitely dead.

Both his arms were dislocated; sticking out at odd, unnatural angles. Every one of his fingers were broken- each joint carelessly snapped and the skin around them disgustingly violet- before the whole hand had been pushed to touch the back of his hand. His legs weren't much better; a single, long, deep slice opening the limbs from the hip to the ankle on each side- piercing through layers of skin, muscle, and bone which were still bleeding profusely.

His armor had been ripped off his torso along with his shirt, and his stomach had been punctured in such a way that it allowed each layer of skin and muscle to be peeled away from the body, exposing his internally bleeding intestines. His nose and ears sliced off- leaving gaping, bleeding holes in his face- the only part of his being which hadn't seemingly been mangled had been his eyes- however, they *had* been. They had been pulled out of their sockets; veins wet with blood still dangling from them

They were now rolling around his scalped head, their irises bloodshot.

"Papa. . ." the girl murmured, brushing his pale, ice-cold face with a trembling finger.

She gasped as she heard someone step up behind her, the person's bloody footfalls echoing in the silent, barren courtyard.

Yet. . .

It was like they didn't touch the ground at all. . .

Still. . .

She already knew who it was.

"Kohaku. . ." she whispered as she turned to face the boy.

He gazed coolly back at her, the sickle-like sword clenched in his hands dripping with a disturbingly familiar red liquid.

"Why?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes full of tears as she reached out for her little brother. "Why did you do this. . .?"

He said nothing, instead allowing his sibling to try and embrace him.

But as soon as her back was in his range, her body not quite touching his- - -

He buried his weapon into her flesh.

Gasping, the girl fell to the ground, wide eyed and trembling.

"K- K- Kohaku. . ."

The boy remained silent, watching blankly as his sister's blood stained the ground; her hair plastered to her body in the rain.

"Please," she begged, painfully pulling herself to a kneeling position. "Tell me why!"

"My soul. . . cannot rest. . ." he spoke, his voice softer then his sister's. "Cannot rest. . . until vengeance is served."

"Wh-What are you talking about?!" she demanded, tears pouring down her cheeks as she reached out for her brother- - -

And watched her hand pass through him.

"N-No. . . Koha-"

Instead of replying, the boy spun on his heal and bolted off through the rain, blood splashing up at his heels though his feet never once touched the ground.

"Kohaku. . ." she murmured, his face as white as her father's as she slowly got to her feet and followed him. "I'm coming for you. . . don't worry, I'm here. . ."

Slowly limping after her little brother, a steady stream of blood pouring from her back as she went, the girl made her way into the rain-soaked town, standing alone in the middle of the cobbled square.

"Kohaku. . ." she called, her voice echoing through the mist. `Where are you. . .? Where do spirits run. . .?'

"To a show made just for them. . ." a voice from no where whispered. "Come see the freaks of the age. . ."

The girl's eyes widened as the voice disappeared, her mind never once registering what had happened.

Yes. . .

A freak show. . .

`I must see the freak show,' she thought desperately, toddling off in the direction she somehow knew she must travel. `I pray to you, my body, take me to the freak show!'

And out of the mist a door appeared; a door leading into a dark compartment.

Sango entered.

And she never left.~

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she bolted into an upright position; her body quivering with fear and her brow dripping with sweat.

Feeling very strained, the ebony haired girl allowed herself to flop back on the hay, her eyes boring a hole into the ceiling.

What. . .

Had just happened?

Had it been a dream. . .?

Or a hellish reality?

~*~

Woo!

That was a lot longer then I originally planned. . . @_@

Hope you enjoyed!

Please R&R!

Ja ne!