InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Speaking Through Dreams ❯ Messages From Beyond ( Chapter 2 )

Speaking Through Dreams

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. No profit is being made off of this story, so please don't sue me; I have no money.

 

Japanese Words in this Chapter:

Youkai: demon

Hanyou: half demon

Jii-chan: grandpa

Baka: stupid/idiot

Babaa: a colloquial, rude way of referring to old women; has the connotation of "old hag"

Ningen: human

 

Chapter 2: Messages From Beyond

 

Kagome woke up with a pounding headache. She could tell by the pale light that it was almost dawn. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was being rejected by her family and friends, then her youkai blood taking over her body to try and protect her from the pain it was causing her. By the time she left her house she had slipped into unconsciousness because of the mental stress she had endured. Her youkai blood must have taken her some place it deemed as “safe”, because right now she was up a tree in the middle of a forest.

 

She didn't recognize where her youkai side had taken her by sight, so she decided to try using another of her senses. Despite what her instincts were telling her, Kagome needed to find Kaede's village and be with Miroku and Sango and Kirara and Shippo. She needed comfort, because right now her life was falling apart before her very eyes and there was nothing she could do about it.

 

Closing her eyes, Kagome took a deep sniff to see if she could recognize any thing. Although most of the scents were new and unknown to her, Kagome did recognize the smell of grass, the trees around her, herbs, Inuyasha, smoke, and…wait, Inuyasha?

 

This must be Inuyasha's Forest. Kagome thought to herself, proud that she had figured it out. That means that the village is in this direction!

 

Kagome leapt down from the tree she was in and started running in the direction she hoped Kaede's village was. She let a small smile come across her face as she thought how cool these new senses of her were, and when she realized that she wasn't falling over. She was still sad depressed and confused, but didn't mean she couldn't have a few happy thoughts. Kagome had always been a person who would try focus on the brighter side of things, and this was no exception to her rule. Besides, last time she let her true emotions show she had turned full youkai and almost killed her family. Where they her family? She wasn't quite sure any more. They had looked like her family, but something about them was different, was out of place. Like a mirage. You think it is real because you can see it, but something about it doesn't seem real. That was how her family felt to her the other day; her eyes said they were real, everything else said they weren't.

 

Kagome let a sigh of relief escape her lips when she saw the village. She was safely back at the village now. Her relief was short lived however, because as soon as she was 100 meters from the village she saw and heard that she wasn't exactly welcome there. The children that had been playing outside ran to their mothers who quickly sheltered them and took them inside while glaring daggers at Kagome.

 

The other villagers would stop what they were doing when they saw her, and whisper insults as she past by. Although it wasn't immediately their intention, they said things loud enough for her hanyou hearing to pick up. “Hanyou, filthy half-breed.” “Why doesn't she go back to hell where she belongs?” “We should drive that abomination out of the village before it attacks us.” “What is that freak doing here? It's not like anyone wants it around here.” “I don't think that piece of filth is wanted anywhere.” Someone threw a rock at her when she passed and Kagome had to fight to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling out. She knew that if the villagers saw her cry, it would only encourage them to act out more and more harshly.

 

“Hey half-breed! Why don't you crawl back to the filth that spawned you? We don't want our village tainted by your presence, so do yourself a favor, be a good bitch, and go back to hell where you belong!” Kagome could hear the murmurs of agreement echo through the villagers. Fearing for her life and dodging rocks and sticks, Kagome decided to flee the village. Later, using her hanyou speed, she could sneak back in and make a run for Kaede's hut. There she would be safe, or at least she hoped.

 

After letting the villager's cool of for a few hours, Kagome snuck around to the back of the village, where she heard and smelt the fewest people and did exactly what she planed. When Kagome was safely with Kaede, she told her about what had happened, letting her emotions flow for the first time that day.

 

When Kaede saw Kagome walk into her hut, she immediately had a pretty good idea as to what had happened. But Kaede knew that sometimes people don't need words to make them feel better, just need a shoulder to cry on; so that is what she gave her. After all, what can you say to a person who was just abandoned by their family? After Kagome had finished her story and had cried as much as she needed to, Kaede had one of the villagers go to find Miroku Shippo Sango and Kirara. Then Kaede made some herbal tea for Kagome and tried to comfort her a little more.

 

“Kagome, if you want, I could help ye to control your youkai blood. I may not have the knowledge you need, but I do know of one who may. Go visit the youkai master-smith Toutousai, he may be able to help you. After all, it was he who made the Tessaiga and Tenseiga, and helped keep Inuyasha's youkai blood in check. If anyone would be able to help ye, it would be he.”

 

Kagome just nodded with relief. She had been worried that she might loose control again and this time hurt someone.

 

Kagome then took the one ray of hope she had felt from her confrontation with her family, and focused on it to help alleviate her pain some more. That was not her family. Sure the looked the same, but they were too out of character to be the same people that she had grown up with and who had raised her, and she knew it. She didn't quite know how to explain it, but she could just feel that something about them was out of place; something that didn't belong.

 

 

Kagome spent most of the day sitting in Kaede's hut, working with her youkai blood while she waited for Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and Miroku to show up. She would do things like take some herbs of Kaede's and memorize the smell of it, or take a herb that she knew was toxic and smell it to see how her youkai blood would tell her that she was in danger. She would do basic things like that to help her cope with her change and keep her mind off Inuyasha and her family. She had wanted to help Kaede pick herbs, but after what had happened earlier that morning they both decided that it was better that she stay inside.

 

Sometime late afternoon Sango and Kirara arrived at Kaede's hut. Sango's immediate question was why she was back already. Kagome didn't want to answer the question three times, so she told Sango that she would tell everyone once they arrived. Not wanting to push the subject, Sango said ok and the two of them sat in Kaede's hut talking about Kagome's new features and how it was like there was another voice in her head. Then their conversation moved more towards girl-talk until Miroku showed up with Shippo around dusk.

 

“Ok Kagome-chan, what happened? Why did you come back?”

 

“Yes, I was under the impression that you would be staying in your time longer. Did something happen?” Miroku inquired as he and Sango sat down in front of Kagome while Shippo jumped in her lap.

 

Kagome braced herself once again for another emotional stretch as she was about to relive yet another emotional trauma.

 

“When I got back to my time, I told my family what had happened to me and Inuyasha. At first I thought that they would comfort me like they always had. But then my neck started hurting where Naraku injected his miasma and everything went wrong. Jii-chan told me that I was a disgrace to the Higurashi name for becoming a filthy hanyou and that I couldn't come back here. My mother…” Kagome paused for a moment to regain her composure and stop her voice from shaking. At least this time she wasn't crying, “my mother s-said that she a-agreed with Jii-chan. My little brother told me th-that he…he hated me.” At this, Sango started to cry for Kagome. She had a little brother too and didn't know what she would do with herself it he told her that he hated her.

 

“When my friends came in to see what the yelling was about, my family told them what I was, and they, they were afraid of me and told me, that they weren't my friends anymore because of what I was.” Kagome was now trembling as she remembered what happened. “And the worst part of it all, w-was when I l-lost control, o-of m-my youkai blood and…attacked Jii-chan.” Kagome winced at the looks of shock on her friends' faces but couldn't blame them. She had shown that she had the capacity to attack a human. “I had enough control not to h-hurt him, but I was d-disowned by m-my family. Then I ran from the house and passed out. When I woke up, I was in a tree in Inuyasha's Forest.”

 

Kagome looked down to hide her eyes in shame. She didn't want to see the looks on their faces after admitting her monstrous act.

 

“Kagome-chan…” Sango started as the said miko mentally flinched Here it comes,' she thought, you're goanna get chewed out and abandoned again. “I am so sorry for you. I know what it is like to have your family wrenched from you and I know how much you must be hurting inside.” Sango reached out and hugged the shocked hanyou.

 

“Yo-you mean you're not, mad or appalled at what I almost did to them?”

 

“No, of course not! You had just lost your best friend and were under a lot of emotional stress, and then you were emotionally attacked by them. I am proud of you Kagome-chan for being able to hold control of your body even when you were a full youkai. Inuyasha would have completely lost control of himself and probably killed them.” Sango hugged Kagome reassuringly.

 

“It is ok Kagome-sama. We don't hold you responsible for something you didn't do. Maybe you almost killed your grandfather Kagome-sama, but the point is you didn't. Remember that. You did not kill anyone.” Miroku added to strengthen what Sango said.

 

Kagome cried tears of joy into Sango's shoulder. They didn't hate her. They didn't abandon her. She was still wanted somewhere. This was a huge relief for Kagome to know that at least here she had friends.

 

“Thank you everyone.” Kagome sobbed. “You don't know what it is like to feel abandoned. Your friendship is all I have left now and it means everything to me.” Kagome released Sango to smile at them. “We should get to sleep now. Tomorrow we need to go see Toutousai and see what we can do about my youkai blood.”

 

Nodding, Miroku Sango Shippo and Kirara got into their respective sleeping spots with Kagome and lay down. Sleep quickly over took Kagome's tired mind as she drifted off into a dream.

 

*******~~~~~~~IN KAGOME'S DREAM~~~~~~~*******

 

Kagome couldn't move anything and there was no light; everything was dark. She was completely paralyzed and she felt this weird pain in her neck, like an electric jolt.

 

“KAGOME!!! KAGOME CAN YOU HEAR ME!!??” A voice called out to her from the darkness. Where did she recognize that voice from?

 

“KAGOME, I WON'T LEAVE YOU. IF YOU CAN HERE ME PLEASE ANSWER. IF NOT, I'LL JUST KEEP YELLING AT YOU!!!”

 

“SHUT UP!!! I CAN HEAR YOU!!!” Kagome yelled. That voice was hurting her ears. Who was it?

 

“Kagome, I'm so glad you're ok!” The voice seemed light and cheery…and she recognized it from somewhere.

 

“Yes, that's all fine and good, but who are you?” Kagome was curious to know who it was she was talking with since she couldn't move to look at the owner of the voice.

 

“Kagome, I'm disappointed in you. And here I thought that you would be smarter now that you aren't just a weak ningen.”

 

“Inuyasha???” Kagome almost shouted as he came into view. He wasn't human anymore, but a hanyou.

 

“Yup, it's me. So, I understand you're having a hard time adjusting to my blood. Heh, that's so typical of you…”

 

“Wait a minute,” Kagome couldn't believe she was talking to him. This was a miracle! She was about to cry “how is this possible? You're dead, I buried you myself!”

 

“You may have buried my body, but I gave you more than just blood, I gave you a part of me that is living in you. Therefore my soul is still able to talk to you. So anyways…” Inuyasha's voice now grew more serious, “I understand you are having a hard time adjusting to being a hanyou.”

 

“Inuyasha, you don't know how much I need this, how much I need to talk to you!”

 

“Baka, of course I do! That's why I'm here talking to you. And you said I was thick. You need to talk to me because you need someone to talk to who you can relate to you. Someone who has gone though the same thing that you are going though, right?”

 

“Yes. Inuyasha, how did you do it? How did you deal with constant rejection by the people around you? What happened to me yesterday with my family, and today at the village, I don't know if I can handle it and my youkai blood at the same time.” Kagome hoped that he would be able to answer her question.

 

“Simple, I stopped caring for anyone and never let anyone get close to my heart. But I know that won't work for you; you're too loving to be able to live a life like that. Just remember, anyone that turns their back on you is an idiot who doesn't know what they're missing. Discrimination is just something that comes with being a hanyou. You're unclean because you are part youkai and you're an easy target because you have the blood of a weak human in you. If you remember that humans hate you because they fear your strength, it will help to ease the pain.” Inuyasha seemed almost distant, like he was lost in memory while he was talking.

 

“Inuyasha, those words mean soooo much more coming from you.” Kagome was already starting to feel happier.

 

“And as for controlling your youkai blood,” he continued like he hadn't heard her, “I can't be of much help to you. I had Tessaiga to help me so my blood was constantly being quieted. But for what it's worth, I think that if you try to reason with it like you would an actual youkai, it will be easier to control. After all it is your blood, so you are it's main concern. It wants to keep you safe and alive so it should listen to you if you convince it that what you want is good for you.”

 

“Thank you Inuyasha. You don't know how much you've helped me just now, in more than one way.” Kagome's heart and mind were overflowing with relief thanks to Inuyasha. “I love you so much”

 

“I love you too, Kagome.” Kagome could hear the tenderness in his voice and knew that he meant it. “Kagome, there is one thing I would like you to do for me. Please, wake up. You need to wake up”

 

Kagome could feel a tingling sensation all over her body, like her whole body had fallen asleep. She could also feel her entire body shaking.

 

“KAGOME-SAMA!!! KAGOME-SAMA YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! THE VILAGERS ARE ATTACKING!”

 

At that Kagome bolted up. Miroku was shaking her and she saw fear in his eyes and smelt it filling the room. She could still feel the tingling sensation in her neck. Looking around the hut Kagome could see that the others were wide awake and looked ready to bolt out of the hut. From out side she could hear Kaede talking to the villagers trying to get them to stop their mob. Wait, MOB??!!

 

The villagers must have figured out you were here and formed a mob to try and drive you out. The relief from Kagome's dream was quickly dissipating as she heard Kaede failing to talk some reason into the villagers.

 

“Please, this is Kagome you are talking about; she means no harm to us! You must stop this foolishness at once.”

 

“Why should we listen to you?” One of the villagers retorted. “You've become a youkai-sympathizer. It was bad enough when you allowed Inuyasha to enter the village, and now you're letting this new youkai in!? Where will it end Kaede-babaa? When we have been kicked out of our own village by the youkai you are letting in? I say we get rid of you while we're at it!” There was a shout of agreement as the mob grew more and more agitated.

 

“Kagome-chan we have to leave now or we could get killed.” Sango warned Kagome.

 

“Okay, let's go” Sango Miroku and Shippo exited out of the back of the hut riding on the transformed Kirara while Kagome ran behind them.

 

“HEY! THEY'RE MAKING A BREAK FOR IT!!! OUT OF OUR WAY BABAA.” Kagome's heart stopped when she heard someone drawing a sword, followed by the smell of blood and the sound of Kaede dropping to the ground dead.

 

The mob chased Kagome and her friends for half an hour before giving up and returning to the village. During the chase Kagome had been hit by rocks, had insults thrown at her, and dodged arrows that were shot at her. Needles to say she was exhausted. Not to mention emotionally torn up again because of Kaede's death.

 

Sango and Shippo mourned for her with Kagome while Miroku made her a grave and offered his prayers for her soul. They too, had been exhausted.

 

Kagome bit back the tears and sorrow that were threatening to engulf her emotions and started to listen to what her youkai instincts were telling her. She was a hanyou now. That meant that she will be hurt, will be abandoned, will be attacked, her friends will get attacked, and since she can't do a thing about it, will not let her guard down.

 

This was what Kagome thought, right before a huge, vicious, and incredibly strong bear youkai came and started viciously attacking the exhausted group. Sango and Miroku had spent all their energy on protecting Kagome and themselves from the villagers and had nothing to give in the way of offense or defense, Kirara could barley stand after the long run, and Shippo couldn't fight. The group's survival rested entirely on the exhausted Kagome's shoulders, and she had never fought hand-to-hand or as a hanyou before in her life.

 

A/N: I've decided that I will update with only one review this time (aren't I nice?). But next time I WON'T update until I get at least two new reviews. Hope you guys are liking the story! And just as added incentive to review, here's a preview of the next chapter, The Haunting:

 

“Kagome let her youkai instincts take over, and she immediately sprang into action. As the oni swung its bone at Kagome, she leapt over it into the air and swiped her claws at the brute's neck. The ogre tried to swat her away, but was too slow and Kagome easily dodged its hand, doing a back-flip in the air and landing in front of the brute. When she landed Kagome was shocked and disappointed to see that her attack had no affect on the youkai. Even when Sango, who had recovered her hiraikotsu from behind it, brought town the weapon on the ogre's neck it only seemed to be amused by the attack.

 

“Heh, heh, heh.” The oni deeply laughed. “Weak mortals can't hurt me. Skin too thick.” As he spoke, the oni swung its bone at Kagome and Sango, effectively catching them in a state of shock and off guard. Sango flew into a tree and was knocked unconscious. Kagome was able to right herself in the air and dig her claws into the ground, effectively dragging herself to a halt. But when she stood up from the crouch she landed in, Kagome was forced back down in pain. Blood was pouring out of her sides and back. Apparently her youkai healing wasn't fast enough.”

 

So get those reviews in quickly to get the rest of the chapter!

 

Sothiaz: I'm glad you like it! The reason that I wait for reviews is because that way I know people are still reading it, I like to hear what people think of my work, and it adds the suspense of having to wait for the next chapter (I have a few cliff hangers). And you don't have to worry about me keeping it going; like I said in the last chapter, I've already written the whole thing. I'm just taking my time to post it *does evil laugh*

 

Until next time,

Akuhonou Ryuu