InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Oyasumi Nasai ❯ Nightmare ( Chapter 1 )

`Oyasumi Nasai'

 

(Good Night)

 

by kougayurizoku

 

 

Kagome drowsily rolled over in her yellow sleeping bag, careful not to squash the small redheaded kitsune kit who was resting directly next to her, and smiled, sleepily, at her friends gathered around the campfire. Sango was curled up in Kagome's spare sleeping bag, which was red in color, a little ways away from her, but still close to the campfire; Kirara, in her small neko form, was sleeping on her pillow.

 

Miroku, who, as always, was sitting cross-legged against a tree a ways away from the fire, shakujou propped up beside him, had not yet closed his eyes. Kagome sincerely hoped he was not worrying over his kazaana. The houshi deserved some peace, in her opinion, despite his lecherous ways.

 

“Oyasumi nasai, Shippou-chan, Sango-chan, Miroku-sama,” Kagome whispered across the campfire.

 

“Oy…sumi…Kagome,” Shippou muttered sleepily from beside her.

 

“Oyasumi, Kagome-chan,” Sango whispered, lifting her head a little and smiling at her best friend.

 

“Oyasumi nasai, Kagome-sama,” said Miroku with a tired smile and a wink. He had caught her looking at him earlier, so he knew she was worried about him. Kagome smiled back, understanding immediately.

 

Kirara uttered an impatient mew and glared at Kagome, though her eyes were laughing.

 

“Oh, gomen, Kirara! Oyasumi nasai!” Kagome whispered. The small neko purred in response, and tucked herself back in a comfortable position on Sango's pillow.

 

Kagome smiled affectionately at all of her friends before rolling back away from the campfire. Her eyes traveled up the tree she was facing until she glimpsed red and white on a branch.

 

“Oyasumi nasai, Inuyasha.”

 

Kagome could not see him, but Inuyasha crossed his arms and stuck his chin in the air, absolutely refusing to speak the soft words back to her. Also unbeknownst to Kagome, Miroku and Sango glared up at the hanyou threateningly until Inuyasha sighed and muttered, “Oyasumi nasai.”

 

Kagome smiled softly to herself before pulling her blankets up to her chin and drifting off to sleep.

 

 

oooooo

 

The battlefield was strewn with dead bodies, wolf and ningen alike.

 

Why? Why did it have to happen like this? So many innocents were dead now, all because of the hell-born creature, Naraku.

 

But it was over now. Naraku was dead. It had taken the temporary alliance of many enemies to the Inu-tachi, such as the hanyou's half-brother and himself, but finally, it was over.

 

He stared into the now lifeless eyes of one of his comrades. He had known him very well, considered him a trusted friend, even. Tears fell down his cheeks as one gut-wrenching thought nagged at his mind: How was he going to tell this wolf's mate and cubs that their loved one was never going to come home again?

 

He sensed Kagome moving toward him and a moment later felt the feather-light touch of her hand on his shoulder.

 

Movement from the shadows caused the panting hanyou to leap to his feet. The houshi and taijiya assumed battle stances as well. Kouga whirled around, sensing the attack before it struck…but it was too late.

 

Kagome fell to her knees, clutching the wound on her abdomen with shaking hands.

 

Fear for Kagome's life and the sudden sick realization that this had all been a trap to kill the miko so dear to his heart forced their way into his mind.

 

He froze, his eyes wide and brimming with more tears, his arms shaking at his sides. The houshi in purple and black robes was screaming a command at him, but his brain had shut off completely. The sound of battle commencing was drowned out by Kagome's whimper of pain.

 

``Kagome…''

 

He dropped to his knees at her side.

 

``Kagome…!''

 

Her frightened eyes met his as blood fell down her chin.

 

“KOUGA! GET HER OUT OF HERE!”

 

The houshi's words had finally reached him, along with the roar of battle. The houshi was right; he had to get her out of here! He gently scooped her up in his arms and was alarmed at the amount of blood soaking the ground where she had just been.

 

Panic gripped his stomach and threatened to make him retch.

 

He was running, but where to go? He glanced down at Kagome's strange clothes and the answer leapt out at him. To the well, of course! She had treated him many times with the advanced medicine of her time, and now he knew that getting her there was her only chance of survival.

 

He ran even faster…

 

Kagome's whimpers were getting smaller and farther apart.

 

“Kagome!” He shouted without looking down at her. He had to keep up his speed and he knew that if he saw her like that again, he would panic and break down completely. “You have to stay awake!”

 

Her breathing was getting shallower…

 

“Kagome, are you listening to me? You have to stay awake! Kagome!”

 

There was no answer. He hurriedly glanced down at her.

 

Her eyes closed and the hand that was clutching at his chest fell limp.

 

Sobbing, he fell to his knees and gently placed her on the ground. His shaking hand softly touched her chest and his eyes watched for any sign of breathing.

 

There was no heartbeat.

 

His tears fell to her cheeks before he succumbed completely and collapsed by her side, shaking in sobs and in his grief…

 

 

ooooo

 

 

Kouga jumped awake, drenched in sweat and breathing hard.

 

`A dream?'

 

It had been so realistic…

 

He clutched his chest as his heart throbbed painfully at the memory of seeing her dying…dead.

 

Closing his eyes tight, he willed himself to calm down, reminding himself that it was only a dream.

 

`Wait…'

 

He tilted his head back, sniffing at the air. Had he just imagined it, the dream still fresh in his mind, or…?

 

No. It hadn't been his imagination. The wind that was flowing through the opening of his cave carried with it the unmistakable scent of Kagome's tears…and her blood.

 

He leapt to his feet and dashed out of his den as fast as he could.

 

 

oooooo

 

 

Kagome opened her eyes sleepily and sat up, glancing around the campfire. Something had woken her up, but now that she was awake, she wasn't sure what it had been. Miroku was in the same position she had last seen him in, only this time, his eyes were closed in sleep. She swiveled her head slowly around to find Sango asleep in her sleeping bag with Kirara resting on the pillow. They hadn't moved. She glanced down at Shippou, who was snoring slightly, deep in sleep.

 

`That must have been it…' Kagome thought to herself with a small laugh. Shippou was already known as a sleep disturber because of his horrible snoring. It wasn't bad on this particular night, but some nights, he sounded to Kagome exactly like a foghorn.

 

Kagome sighed and lay back down in her sleeping bag, gently tucking Shippou in with her. Rolling on her other side sleepily, Kagome winced as she was poked with a sharp stick in her thigh. With a growl of frustration, she sat up to remove it from the folds of her sleeping bag.

 

`Wait a second,' she thought. `This wasn't here when I went to bed…It must have fallen from…' She clutched the stick in her hand and looked up in the tree that Inuyasha had been sleeping in.

 

With a pang of foreboding in her chest, she realized that the hanyou was no longer there.

 

`Well,' she thought, `maybe he had to go to the bathroom?'

 

Ten minutes, fifteen, then half an hour had passed by with no sight or sound of Inuyasha's return. Worried, Kagome climbed out of her sleeping bag and wandered away from the camp to search for him.

 

She walked slowly in a straight line for about ten minutes, hoping that she wouldn't get lost. `Maybe I should just go back…?' She asked herself. But before a moment of hesitation could pass, she knew that she couldn't go back to the camp. Not until she knew Inuyasha was okay.

 

Movement in the dark trees ahead of her alerted her to danger and she instinctively reached her hand to her back, but…

 

`Oh, no, I didn't bring the bow and arrows?! How stupid can I get?!'

 

She quickly dashed behind a tree and waited, listening.

 

`Voices?'

 

Peering around from behind the tree, Kagome took in the sight of what she had been dreading most.

 

“Inuyasha, when will you forget about that thieving little brat and choose me?” Kikyou asked him, snaking her arms around his neck. “She stole my soul, therefore she is nothing but a copy of myself.”

 

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “I know that, Kikyou. You're the only one for me.”

 

Kagome had had enough. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she turned around and ran. Even if Inuyasha had come chasing after her, which he hadn't, she would not have stopped. She ran blindly, roughly pushing her way through the dense trees of the forest. A thorny branch came at her before she knew what it was, and thinking that it was just another branch, she flung her arm at it to knock it out of the way.

 

The cut was not bad, so she kept running.

 

Half an hour passed. Sobbing, she stopped running and gripped a tree branch for support. She was now hopelessly lost, but she didn't care. How could he have been so cruel? She had trusted him, entrusted her heart to him. Yet, he had coldly thrown it all away, just because Kikyou had said so.

 

She wondered if he would have acted any different toward her the next morning had she not found him there with Kikyou. `Tonight is probably not the first night they've done this.' She bitterly thought. `He's been acting like nothing has happened, all this time, leading me on.'

 

How could he? How dare he?

 

She punched the tree with her fist as hard as she could. `Oh, great, now I'm bleeding again. I'm practically begging to be found and eaten by youkai now…'

 

There was a rustle in the trees a quarter of a mile away.

 

`Wonderful. Here they come.' Why, oh why had she forgotten her bow? This was it; she was going to die now for sure. She didn't even bother to scream for help. Inuyasha wouldn't come. He didn't care about her; she was only a copy after all. The others couldn't possibly hear her from this distance, and even if she did call for them, they would be too late; this, she knew.

 

The youkai was coming closer at a very fast pace. A familiar feeling made her skin crawl with fear. This youkai had two shards of the Shikon no Tama. Its very force must be bone crunching. If she was hit…

 

But what else could she do? Why bother to delay the deathblow when it could be all over within just a few seconds?

 

`How ironic this is…' She thought with a bitter smile. `I will die betrayed by Inuyasha as well. Maybe I am just a copy after all…'

 

Any second now. She closed her eyes, sure that she would never open them again, and…

 

Strong but gentle arms wrapped around her waist and she was lifted and twirled in the air before she was gently placed on her own two feet again.

 

Despite her aching heart, she found that she could not suppress the laughter falling from her lips at the sight of him. Now she knew she was safe.

 

“Kouga-kun! You scared me half to…are you all right?”

 

There was a troubled look in his eyes and his mouth was open, his breathing hard and uneven. He was staring at her abdomen.

 

“Kouga-kun…?”

 

His hand shook as he touched her stomach gently. When she did not cry out in pain, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

 

“Thank goodness…thank goodness…”

 

“Kouga…?” However, the question died in her throat.

 

Her shoulder was wet. Tears fell down her cheeks as she realized that his shoulders were shaking in silent sobs. Kagome threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her.

 

oooooo

 

Shippou shivered and snuggled closer to…an empty sleeping bag. He woke with a start and began searching inside the tangle of blankets and pillows. His efforts were futile. He glanced around the campfire, hoping that she would be there, digging in her big yellow bag for something…but she wasn't.

 

“Kagome!” He desperately called into the forest. Silence.

 

“Shippou-chan…” Sango paused to yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. “What's wrong?”

 

Miroku, too, had opened his eyes and was staring intently at the kitsune kit.

 

“It's Kagome!” Shippou whined. “I can't find her anywhere!”

 

Sango sat up fully and looked at Miroku, a look of dread in her eyes. “Houshi-sama…”

 

Miroku nodded, “Mm.” He stood up and brushed himself off, gripping shakujou in his fist.

 

“What'll we do?” Shippou cried. “We have to find Kagome!”

 

Sango nodded and scooped him up in her arms. “Don't worry, Shippou-chan, we will.”

 

When he looked to Miroku for reassurance, the houshi smiled and nodded. “We'll find her, Shippou.”

 

As Sango was changing into her taijiya outfit, Miroku called to the upper branches of the tree beside Kagome's empty sleeping bag. “Inuyasha, let's go.”

 

When he was greeted with silence, he glanced up, ready to argue. Miroku frowned.

 

The hanyou was not there.