InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The blood that binds ❯ Spinner's Thread & The Sea of Dreams ( Chapter 4 )

Authors Note

I dunno if anyone reads these or not but anyways, gomen for not updating sooner. I had some unexpected snags and this fell a few spots on the to do list. What you are about to read is the long awaited chapter 4. This is the longest thing I have ever written. It has a lot of dialogue in it and has some slow parts so bare with me because I think it gets better. *wink* Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic because it makes this so much more fun for me.

Kikyokagome: ITS HERE NOW! YAY:} lol. Thanks im glad u liked it.

 

Lunar Heart Crystal: Omg! I forgot to thank you before! I'm so sorry! Thanks!

Water sprite: Hope it lives up to the hype. Lol. I'll help you out. Send me your stuff.

Alrighty lets get this show on the road! Muhahaha!

 

Disclaimer: Don't make me say it please! Oh fine I don't own Inuyasha! YA HAPPY NOW? Damn corporate lawyers go to hell so Kikyo can have some company and Inu can stay with us! BTW: My original characters and plots belong to me. STEAL THEM AND YOUR ASS IS MINE!

 

Chapter Dedication: I don't normally do this but this chapter is dedicated to Water sprite in recognition of some of the best fics I have ever read. Also, with love and admiration, to my sister. You're annoying as hell but your pretty kickass too. *WINK*

 

 

 

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The Blood That Binds

By: thesoulcollector

 

Chapter 4: Spinner's Thread & The Sea of Dreams

 

 

“Huh? What was that?”

 

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the shift in the air. The place now reeked of death. In passing hours the aroma of Kagome's death had become stale now that her heart was beating again. He strained one sensitive ear to the other side of the thicket and paused until he could pick out the double beat of the two female occupants that still lay sleeping with tiny rivulets of bluish hue pouring out where the fingers intertwined. - It shouldn't smell this thick…- Inuyasha growled as the golden hue of his eyes began leaking water and his nose began to run. He attempted to sniff the air again but only succeed in making the liquid come faster. “ARRG THAT'S IT!” grabbing the Tetsiega he shot up and stormed out of the enclosure.

 

 

His nose was on fire. He could scarcely talk his mouth into opening long enough for him to breathe. The balled up fabric of his haori over his nose provided little relief from the tendrils of rot that polluted the air and blocked his senses. Inuyasha felt as though he would wretch as he stomped through the grass. The hanyou found, much to his dislike, that the farther he went the stronger it got. Unable to take the assault any longer, he pushed off the ground and into the air as if it were the easiest thing in the world. For a few precious moments the air was fresh and clean and he reveled in it as the torrents of red and silver danced in the wind behind him, until solid thump under the pads of his feet told of his arrival. Inuyasha grasped the truck of the huge tree as he registered his surroundings. The razor ends of his claws lifted up the knotted bark off its place in five identical slashes. Hanyou eyes narrowed in a predatory instinct and a low growl blew at the tips of his fangs. “Feh.” and he leapt back into the stink towards its source.

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He felt his anger grow as he approached the rotting snake demon. It lay in heaps of coils and the slimy coating of its gray underbelly gleamed in the sunlight. The blood and pus that oozed from its socket was darker now as it dried. The stench was unbearable to his mind but he really did not give much notice to it. His mind was separate from the rest of him, now. Inuyasha felt every pulse of his heart push the demonic blood of his birth up against his veins like a battering ram. Unable to control himself any longer, Tetsiega was unleashed to its full deadliness as it sliced into the serpent skin. Each and every cut wrought a tortured sound from deep within him. His heart screamed and ached over what he almost lost, even if it hurt too much to even begin to tell her so.

“You… fucking. …Bastard! You… killed… Ka…go…me! ARRRRRG!”

 

The shiny tip of the fang made contact in a succession of tally marks in the soft crisscrossing of its scales. The half demon continued his mindless vengeance until the crimson haze in his vision cleared and his shoulders heaved as the burning air was forced into his lungs. The shuddering of his muscles was the only betrayal to his exhaustion as he leaned on his weapon for support. This went unnoticed as silver hair spilled over in a veil to hide the dampness in honeydew gold.

 

-I don't remember feeling this way. Not even when my mother died. I was a pup back then. I was sad, of course. But it didn't register what it meant. Kagome is human. Humans die so easily. I knew they were more fragile then demons. But they die …-

Inuyasha finally rejoined his body. He paled at his thinking and tried to shake it, yet it stayed burned into his mind like a brand. His subconscious supplied him with a parade of moving pictures. Kagome on the other side of the clearing and floating farther away as she fell towards the grass. Unmoving. Miroku disappearing into his Cursed Tunnel with a pained shout. Sango's sharp gasp as her brother's Sickle Chain tore a path through her vital organs. All too late to be saved….

 

 

 

 

The half demon squeezed his eyes shut in terror. When he opened them again his senses were more resolute. He was aware of the cold sweat that poured down his head and stung his eyes. Aware that his breathing came out in strained pants. Aware that his stomach would not sit in it's proper place. Inuyasha was then very aware of a need to…

 

 

The blood color in his haori swished as he flew away and doubled over in the grass.

 

Gagging and choking as the stored contents of Ramen spilled out of his mouth replaced his panting. Staying like this until he had nothing left in his stomach, Inuyasha simply spat on last time before pulling himself upright. The white-hot gaze of the sun above illuminated the world beneath it, giving the world temporary sanctuary from the dark that trespassed in their dreams. Inuyasha raised a hand to shield his eyes, finding no comfort in the false security it offered as his mind replayed these images to him again and again.

 

- I … I promised that I would protect them, her. But I failed her… -

 

He had slumped back, leaning against the gnarled bark of a withered tree, legs crossed and ears firmly plastered flat to his head. His head remained down and he stared intently at nothing while his arms hung limp at his sides.

 

 

For the first time in what must have been many decades; Inuyasha the hanyou, Inuyasha the bastard brother of the Taiyouki of the Western Lands, Inuyasha wielder of the almighty Tetsiega, Inuyasha the brave warrior of the Feudal Era…

 

Looked nothing more than the anguished teenage boy that he truly was. Just Inuyasha.

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Lost amongst his own thoughts, Inuyasha was utterly ready to curse at himself when he realized that he was no longer alone. His demonic ears swiveled and the rest of him jerked upright as he tried to place the source of the harsh rasping around him. Yet his search was for naught and with each passing glance at the clearing around him, Inuyasha

Heard the rasping grow louder. Glinting eyes surveyed the area one last time before the gaze was dropped to the torn flesh of the deceased snake, still ugly and rotted even more as it had been minutes ago. Only this time there was a distinct difference in the carnage.

 

 

It was laughing.

 

 

The snakes lower jaw-hung slack and motionless, yet the cackling poured out of its mouth as though it still drew breath. Its laughter was harsh and taunting and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in anger as he recognized the ancient hilt of the Tetsiega protruding from the charred side of the ebony reptile where it was abandoned. Cursing himself for his stupidity, the hanyou reached out one hand in an attempt to snatch his weapon back. The clawed appendage had not come with in an inch of its prize when it was met with fierce black sparks that sped through the unsuspecting demon with enough force to send him flying. Inuyasha lay crumpled for a good few minutes as the insane laughter grew to the point of hysteria.

 

“I suggest you keep your hands to yourself half breed.” a velvety smooth voice cooed as it replaced the unnatural giggling.

 

Inuyasha groaned and rolled over again. His mind was foggy and his demonic senses were taking off in a thousand different directions. Finally, when the stinging in his vision subsided, the half-breed in question narrowed his cat like orbs once again on the reanimated foe. A growl escaped his throat.

 

“What the hell are you?”

 

 

“Indeed I am surely not a filthy half breed like yourself, nor am I this wretch of a corpse.”

 

The soft darkness that laced in the reply was enough to make every hair on his body stand on end. Inuyasha felt his mind reach for something through his muddied haze. A realization that came flying ever closer with every stench filled gasp of air and every syllable that was spoken. He just couldn't find it.

 

“We killed you.”

 

 

The snake snorted “Foolish Half breed. You posses neither the intelligence nor power to kill me. This shell of a demon wasn't even challenged by you. It is strange to think that the almighty Tetsiega was defeated so easily.”

 

 

“Give me my sword back ya damn bastard!”, Inuyasha seethed. His request was met with a round of laughter on the part of the puppeteer. It filled the clearing with an entirely different sound. Soft malevolent chuckles. Every note filled the inu hanyou with a burning feeling and in an instant; his mind became painfully clear as the sought realization hit him with a sick thud. “Naraku!”

 

“Your stupidity is truly amazing. I would tear out your cursed throat where you stand.” Inuyasha instantly felt himself pinned with his arms twisted around his back. He felt the weight of someone pressing into his back hard enough to snap his spine. “You shall never dare compare me to that bastard demon again.” the velvet hissed in his ear.

 

The hanyou gasped for air as he was held by this invisible embrace. His hatred fell of him in waves and red leaked into his eyes. “Stupid fuck! I smell him all over you. You're just like him. You use stupid lesser demons to do your dirty work. You're no better. You smell like some godforsaken rotted meat.” Inuyasha spat to the empty air that held him. In truth the smell was about make him pass out but there was no way he was going to share that information. “If you hate him so much then you would at least have enough balls to show yourself instead of using a corpse!”

 

“Perhaps so.” the velvet syllables dropped lower. “ But why waste my energy if an over grown reptile is enough to bring her into my arms?” it cooed.

 

Inuyasha paled. He felt his arms twist and turn in their hidden bindings as he struggled against them. “YOU BASTARD! YOU WILL NEVER LAY A FUCKIN FINGER ON KAGOME!”

 

“Oh dear Inuyasha I have no interest in your little miko. I shall admit that wandering through her mind was interesting in the least. Though it did not produce the desired effect.”, it pouted almost as though it were a disappointed child. “What amazes me is her loyalty to filth like you. Even after your betrayal. Amusing …:”

 

“I would never betray her!”

 

“Always such a fool.” was the chided response. The tone of the inu's skin was beginning to match his hair when he felt something loosen on his arm. The pressure slackened momentarily and was repositioned on the side of face. Inuyasha instinctively kept his head stock straight when he registered the increasing pressure on his cheek. A bruise began to form there as though someone had accidentally spilled paint on the spot. The purple stain spread until Inuyasha felt his jaw pop and the hanyou finally turned his head until his gaze fell on the hilt of Tetsiega.

 

“Tetsiega….” It hissed as Inuyasha was further constricted “You posses the mighty fang of the Great Lord InuToisho. Rumored to have enough power to smite a hundred demons in one stroke. Yet if it isn't bad enough that he chose you to be its wielder, than it is truly blasphemy that you waste such power protecting a slip of a nigen wench. For that was your promise was it not, Inuyasha?” the demon in question was now green as he felt all previous nausea creep back into the depths of stomach. He remembered…

 

“You're just gonna shut up and let me protect you, got it?”

 

“It was, wasn't it? Yet she died in my arms.” whispers fell into just above his right ear. “If it were not for that blasted Mirrorweaver then she would have stayed that way. ”

 

The words were choked and strangled “Shut up…”

 

 

“OOOO poor little half-breed has a soft spot.” came the singsong voice before it dropped to the natural depth. “Tell me, are you a failure at everything you do or is it just protecting those that need you the most?”

 

 

“SHUT UP!” Inuyasha felt a slight pop in his left arm as the whirled around, claws taking mad swipes in every direction, only to slice through air. He gasped as he felt his throat close up. The red clad form began to float upwards as a clawed hand flailed at his jugular.

 

“Fool! Do you honestly think I would make it that easy?” malice laced syllables carried to his half conscious mind. The black spots in his eyes where growing larger and distantly his lungs screamed for air. He felt his world spin away around him. -Kagome, I am sorry…-

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Whatever Inuyasha had expected death to be like, it was most assuredly not the sound that filled his ears. There was a whirring sound as something sliced a path through the air, lifting the force off his faltering windpipe, followed by a glass-shattering shriek. Half lidded eyes shot to their full amber glory as he winced at the abuse of his sensitive hearing. No, whatever death was like, it was not this.

 

The entire clearing was filled with thread. Some of it lay overlapping in the trees while a huge mass stood out against the bold color of his clothing. Still, more had wound around the rot of skin that had been talking so clearly earlier. In fact, it all seemed to pour from the mouth of the slain demon.

 

 

A dizzy Inuyasha took this all in in stupefied awe. His hand laced one strand through its fingers and tilted it so that it sparkled in the light of the noon.

 

-Spider's thread…- the inu attempted to slash it but it held as though it were steel. “Why can I see it now?” Inuyasha was puzzled as he jerked at the strand that held his neck. Tracing its path back to the stinking snake he paused. “What the hell is that thing?”

 

Something had embedded itself deep into the snakes broad head, piercing it straight through to the stained grass. The wound was pulsing a fiery red light in beat with the weapon, which was surrounded by dark green fire. The moment the hanyou's question beat the air, the flames leapt up in a pillared climax before flinging out across every strand of thread held its place in the youkai's mouth.

 

Inuyasha swore and cringed as the flames licked up his body and danced across the silver thread that bound him until it was swallowed entirely. For a moment the world throbbed green, then exploded into red as every single silver thread dissolved into ash to be blown away by the wind.

 

 

 

The halfling ended his fall on his feet and started to walk away without missing a beat. His nose twitched cautiously as it tasted the natural scent of the forest. “It's gone now.,” he whispered. To confirm his suspicions, Inuyasha witnessed the snake begin to melt as if it where snow. The pitch shade crept away to reveal the sun bleached bones underneath and, in the end, they were stripped clean.

 

Inuyasha sniffed again before stomping to where Tetsiega lay amidst the tunnel of bones and wrenching it free with a satisfied smirk. “Worthless reptile.” he huffed before sidestepping to where the empty sockets stared back at him.

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The red was endless. The lines of it crisscrossed over and over themselves in a sequence he didn't recognize as he continued to stare at the painted symbol that clashed brilliantly with the creamy color of the skull. The entire thing was about the size of his fist and it smelled horrid. Stranger still was the oval shaped thing that had embedded itself in the in the center of the crimson pattern. Crouching forward as smoke still stung his eyes, Inuyasha gazed on wearily when the nameless weapon lightened into a shade of swirling silver that seemed to throb in time with his own heartbeat. “Hmmm…”

 

Curiosity finally got the best of the inu. Without a second thought his hand leapt forward to grasp the sterling pulse.

 

The wind shifted once more as the world fell away. Inuyasha was vaguely aware of the searing burns in his right palm but the clawed appendage stayed where it was. On odd floating sensation filled his every nerve. The scenery darkened and molded to fit the argent pulsing as the thing that etched angry red marks in his hand. Objects sped around and around in a rhythm that made the halfling loose any sense of where he was. The only thing that remained consistent was a steady flapping melody that reached his swiveled ears. - It sounds like birds…. - still disoriented, it was a few more seconds before he realized -There is …voices too. - Behind closed eyes, he focused every sense on the noises that whirled past him in the same slurred frenzy.

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“It can't be the same person.”

“Look at how it sparkles up here.”

“I never really enjoyed it that much, myself. Hang around if you want. I have other things to do…”

“WHY DID HE DO THIS?!”

 

“It wasn't your fault.”

“Please kill me.”

“I suppose I was so sure that I became blind. Just like my old man. How pathetic.”

“How much do you know?”

“Tell me, please…”

“I'm Rieden.”

“Midoriko…. Mari….”

“I suppose that history is always doomed to repeat itself, no matter how much I want to believe I wouldn`t repeat his mistakes.”

“Do you miss him?”

“No one is making you stay, ya know.”

“I know…”

“Inuyasha, INUYASHA!”

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Every single organ gave a sickening lurch forward and with a slight thump Inuyasha lay sprawled out on the grass as though he had never left. Sharpened eyes trailed up the red sleeve while the pupils shrank in adjustments to the white-hot light of the sun. A pair of honey - like spheres blinked and settled on a clawed hand that was still wrapped around the smoking cylindrical top of the argent weapon on one end, and the narrowed part that had disappeared in the impaled the serpent's skull all the way to the stained grass below.

 

“AHHH SHIT!”, the half demon wailed when he finally removed his hand from the burning pulse of sterling. Hopping madly from one bare foot to the other, Inuyasha cradled his smoking palm and continued to spit every foul word his dazed mind could come up with while his hair billowed out behind him in a matted atrocity.

 

- Note to self, never let Kagome find out about this! -

 

At that moment, cursing even louder when he realized that his demon healing was being incredibly slow, the silver haired hanyou wanted so very badly to have the girl in question take out that odd medicine kit and do something about this mess. His mouth twisted into a lopsided smile as his mind provided him with a picture of her bent over his hand, smiling and shaking her head…

 

-Aww damn! But then the wench `ll start sitting me for being stupid. - He growled to himself as he recalled all the times she had used that blasted submission spell on him. “Feh! Like I need her help anyway.” Wincing and biting his lip as he pulled a fire rat sleeve over his injuries, Inuyasha stalked back to the skull and stopped. His brow furrowed and relaxed and in one swift motion he latched his good hand under the huge jaw and pulled.

 

 

 

There was a small pop and a tearing noise from the uprooted grass until the bone yanked free. Inuyasha gave a small gulp in the back of his throat when he found a long, skinny rod protruding from the skulls lower half. It was the same silver pulse and narrowed into a nasty point that sparkled in the sunlight.

 

“Wow. I think I almost feel sorry for the bastard” he chuckled and his features set into a predatory smirk that displayed the pointed tips of his fangs in the noon light “Almost.”

 

His feet hit the dirt and he was off in a red blur that vanished into the trees.

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-Izayoi-

Raven tendrils fell forward on pale skin when a soft groan passed through her lips.

Kagome rolled over slightly, her muscles wailing at the abuse. She moaned softly and the veil of her lashes lifted into caramel colored spheres. “Five more minutes mommy…ugh. Hey, where am I?” Her hand flew to cover her mouth as her own voice bounced off the air and reached her ears in horrid echoes. Every syllable seemed twisted and blurred as though she had a pillow over her face. Looking down she nearly fainted when she sow her hands slip right through her own body in a parody to the air she breathed. Chocolate eyes widened in pure terror when she felt her body start to drift away in the breeze. She thrashed and twisted, trying to keep her feet on the ground before she was blown away. -Kami this isn't possible. What's happening to me? Where is Inuyasha? THIS ISN`T HAPPENING! - The distraught miko fell into the breeze as though she weighed nothing at all. Her pale form was starting to float along through the backdrop of a grayish fog that distorted all the landscape into indescribable mounds and shapes.

 

The farther she floated, the more difficult it was to move. Her nigen muscles felt heavy and exhausted and her eyelids seemed to be the only thing that held any weight. When the last futile shudder ended, the wind picked up speed. The world raced by in a maddened dance of blended images and sounds that made her fatigued mind reel and spin. There was no way of knowing how far she traveled in the whirl of dull grays and blacks. She felt starved, for air, water, food, but most of all she craved color. The miko in her blood called out for life, for movement. The girl in her screamed for life filled with laughter and love and all other emotions that were stifled by the monotony of this existence. “Kami help me!” she slurred. Her eyes registered the black rift of what must have been a canyon drawing closer and closer. The cyclone made no sign of slowing down and somewhere it clicked through all the dull aching that she would fall into the void. Yet here body let go of it's obligations to her mind and her eyes drifted closed, ignorant to the little voice that was sluggishly shouting something akin to “MOVE YOUR FAT ASS GIRL!” Kagome despaired as her body abandoned her. She could not move. She would fall into the dark.

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- Kami help me…-

- Help yourself. -

- Nani? -

- This is a place were the only one who helps you is you. -

 

Kagome felt someone grab her hand. It was nothing special, just a drop of brisk contact in her fingertips. It felt like a caress of lightning. Her hair flew behind her as the miko sat up with renewed vigor, wavering slightly under the peculiar sensation of using muscles that were no longer solid

 

- What in the world. Who was…? -

 

-This is considered cheating you know. - The light tones of a feminine voice pierced the air in a perfectly normal harmony.

 

The miko was left suspended in midair as she spun around, hovering hundreds of feet above whatever ground existed there.

 

-Be careful. You don't have anything to anchor with. -

 

 

Kagome twirled to her left and nearly fell over. Amidst the layering gray was a mound that was a shade darker then everything else. It hovered a mere foot away from her and up towards the top she saw a pair of copperish spheres that sparkled with there own light as they mocked her distress. Eyes.

 

“Inuyasha?” her mouth moved incredibly slowly and her voice held a foreign heaviness.

“No, not really” the transparent girl wrinkled her nose when she realized her companion was trying hard not to laugh at her.

“Then, who are you?” she huffed while trying to cross her arms.

 

“ I think that's a rather lame question to ask right now.” the mound shifted and rose. Its form changed into curves and depths that Kagome registered to be that of human. Her eyes traveled up and fell into the golden depths once more. “ What do you have on you?” the miko's brow furrowed and her companion sighed. The honey hued eyes narrowed making them appear more catlike while the voice adopted an exasperated tone. “ If you don't give me something to anchor your soul to, you will keep floating until you fall into that thing.” a silhouetted hand gestured towards the menacing drop of the canyon ahead. Kagome gave a slight shudder and her eyes searched franticly for something that would suite her needs. A flash of color floated into her view and she peered closer. Floating amidst her lap was a tiny spray of violet. The miko plucked it carefully and turned it over in her liquid fingers. -The flower Inuyasha gave me…-

 

“That shall be fine.” came a soft whisper. There seemed to be a heavy longing in that reply. Shadowed digits grasped her own. The girl cried out when she felt something bite her finger and watched in morbid fascination as three tiny drops of her own crimson blood soaked into the velvet petals. Her fingers were pushed closed over the plant and Kagome's form shuddered as its cells solidified.

 

“What did you do?” Kagome was faintly aware that her voice was normal again. Her heart started to pound in her ears as she began to fall.

“Will you tell them I'm sorry, please?”

 

“I don't understand.” she screeched as a floral scent filled her nostrils. Her eyes flew closed when she felt her back hit something wet. When she opened them again, Kagome was enclosed in water. She thrashed and kicked until she realized there was no strain in her chest to breathe. Now thoroughly confused, the miko searched the blueish recesses for a way out. She spun around when she heard someone sob.

 

The colors in the water swirled and fell away to unveil a clearing. Kagome felt a lurch of recognition at the God Tree in the distance. Her hand reached forward and she was amazed when the scene rippled under her touch. Once the scene settled out another choked sob followed the last. Kagome watched as the forest shimmered causing people to materialize and the scene played out.

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A small girl with ankle length sterling hair sat on the lip of the Bone - Eaters Well. She was clad in an obviously expensive light pink kimono that was showered in purple flowers to match her dainty slippers. She had on an obi of the same violet shade that was partly covered by fluffy boa partly draped over her shoulder. Her face remained hidden for she remained turned away while whispering consoling things to whatever was locked in her embrace.

 

A teenage human girl who wore an orange-checkered kimono looked up worriedly with big pools of brown eyes while standing on her knees and inching forward as if to pat someone's shoulder. The large part of her hair that was not tied in a lopsided ponytail twirled in the chilly autumn air. Assuming the same position next to her was a boy of about the same age with shining green eyes and auburn hair that remained completely tied back.

 

Sitting slightly farther away from the pink clad child were a boy and a girl. The boy looked slightly older than ten. He wore nothing but slightly worn hakamas. The purple beads laced around his right hand jingled as he wrapped his arms around something in parody to the person across from him. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with his lack of clothing in such weather yet he showed none of it. His deep violet eyes gazed seriously at the girl in pink before burying his head in something that could not be seen. The girl that sat next to him was attempting not to shiver in her sleeping kimono. In contrast to the boy's scraggly, unkempt black hair, her's was a soft brown that matched her eyes. It was neatly cut to just above her ears and gave her a pixie like appearance. At the moment her head was cocked to one side as if judging the boy's actions. She apparently approved for she sighed and looked up sadly, eyes large and wet, before doing the same.

 

 

 

 

 

The water shimmered as the scene-changed angles. The golden leaves were laced in sobs and sniffles that were muffled in fabric confines. From the edge of the clearing stood a woman in her early twenties. Her forest green t-shirt brought out the hazel swirls in her matching eyes. She stood just less than six foot in her faded blue jeans that clung to the toned muscles of her lower body all the way to the worn brown boots on her feet. The chestnut hair on her head wove all the way down to her knees in a plaited braid, the bangs falling forward to frame her pale face. The tone of her skin clashed wonderfully with the creasant moon on her forehead and the stripes on one side of her face. She gave a small glance at the huddle by the well before turning her attention back to the bundle in her arms.

 

Walking out of the foliage came a twelve-year-old boy. His silver bangs whipped in the wind as he narrowed eyes of the exact same shade as the woman who stood next to him. His kimono was hidden under the spiked chest plate he wore. His face was troubled as he debated whether or not to go join the group hug and he seemed surprised when there came a tug on the fluffy thing draped over his shoulder. The facial expression softened when he glanced down at the small boy whose minute dog-ears twitched atop his raven locks. His dark gold eyes where wide and he clutched the cotton like fluff in a death grip while timidly sticking a clawed thumb in his mouth.

 

 

Wind swirled in the clearing causing an aerial display of painted leaves and small white feathers. The introduction seemed to suit the demon lord as he stepped off of his youki cloud. Seshomaru gave a small glance to the woman next to him who smiled and nodded her head towards the gathering. The TaiYoukai of the West made no noise but slowly the folds of people parted in his wake. The child clad in the pink kimono lifted her head to display the same fire colored eyes and lavender markings of the elder demon. Her small arms tightened and she swallowed part of her lower lip as though she was trying to decide something. Her face scrunched together and she began to glare at him.

 

Lord Seshomaru let his eyes close and breathed a sound that spoke of incredible weariness on his part. Slowly his lids lifted back and his normal mask seemed to drain away. “Lily you cannot hide her forever.”

 

“But Papa. -”

 

“Enough.” The youkai flicked his wrist and with a defeated sigh, she retreated. Lord Seshomaru waited a moment until he was sure she had gone to stand with the others, and then turned back to the well, or rather the child sitting on it.

 

Small and exhausted. Her snowy hair fell forward to veil her face until the Lord reached a hooked finger out to capture her chin until the honey hued eyes rimmed in red met his gaze and held it for a moment. He studied her then. Taking in the way she sat hunched while hugging her bare knees to her chest as her form shook with muted sobs. Her face was smeared in dirt and a ruby colored mess. There were tatters of stained fabric that hung around her in certain places but it was clear that the garment was too far gone. A tiny rivulet of blood trailed from the center of her lower lip as she bit down on it with one fang. He took the pad of his thumb and swept it away watching how she flinched. Seshomaru growled softly at back of his throat.

 

“Child this was not your doing. There is no point in your trembling.”

 

“ Why?” The syllable was soft and monotone. The ears on her head twitched as though the sound of her voice was a foreign element.

 

“Sometimes there are never explanations for those who are left behind. Be sure child that they loved you dearly, I am sure that they still do.”

 

“ Left… Behind? I was left.” Saline swept curved paths down her face and her voice found its volume, “Why would the do this if the loved us. How could they?! LIARS!”

 

“You would dare to belittle them so? I doubt that.”

 

“I … hate them.”

 

“I admit that does not surprise me. Perhaps you shall change your mind in time.” His gaze softens and his hands move to clasp her shoulder “Come, it does not do for anyone to dwell in the open now, least of all you.” He turned and left without another word with the rest of the troop following in weighted silence. The boy with the emerald eyes lingered for a moment and trailed his gaze back in the opposite direction. The outline of her tired head lifted to greet it with a cracked half smile before it shook from side to side. He took a step back before turning and sprinting after the rest. It was then that all was quiet and she was alone once more. Even the wind itself seemed to leave the small spot.

 

The child closed her soft eyes and pressed her flat palms against the rim of the enchanted well. Bare feet thudded against the last of the dying grass and as she turned there was a soft noise off in the sparse vegetation fallowed almost instantly by some sort of fluttering. Her ears twitched and her pupils shifted but her head remained fixed straight. If she had been curious then she was not one to submit to such a thing for she did nothing to further acknowledge any unwanted company. The tendrils of shock white hair danced in the return of a stray gust as she remained still.

 

Soft lips in a straight line and shoulders heaving she turned back towards the well with vision that must have become blurry more than once. Only when she was close enough to peer down into the pitch folds did she manage to lift one closed fist over the void.

 

“Thank You. I can't see you but I know your watching… Whatever you did …. Just don't leave me too, promise?” Her words were quiet with a certain terror as the left her lips.

 

“Maybe he's right. Maybe one day I won't hate them… but I can't forgive them for what they've done. Not with all the time in the world.”

Her fingers opened and there was a faint clattering as the pit swallowed the fistful of glittering purple beads. “Goodbye….

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“Goodbye….” The color faded away into thundering azure waves and the single audience member was thrust forward through the liquid folds. The miko broke the surface and flew past brilliant landscapes of pale gold and green. Mountains of endless height, humid rainforests, field after field of golden grass, and some nothing more then rocks and wasteland. Each fell away in a nauseating speed and she felt her head start to swim as she continued her journey high above the world.

 

Soon all distinctive shape bled together and the only thing that remained was the sea that ran on forever. Faster and faster Kagome felt truly sick. It was then that she felt another hand close over her own. Before she had time to think, there was a huge yank and a whirring sound. Kagome's mouth opened on reflex and sound found its way.

 

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“Ahhhhhhh!” Her body shot straight up into a sitting position. The waves of her hair stuck to her sweating forehead as she attempted to calm the beat of her heart. Kagome faintly registered Inuyasha as he leapt up and rushed towards her.

 

“ Hey Kagome! It's about time. I was starting to worry about you.” He locked the sleeves of his haori around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. “You scared me you stupid girl.”

 

“Umm. Inuyasha…”she squeaked for air under the pressure of his arms.” You're suffocating me.”

 

He paled and flew to the other end of the room. The blood in his face seemed to stick to his cheeks as she continued to stare at him with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

 

He started glaring back at her. “Feh! Why ya lookin at me wench? Its not like I was stupid enough to get killed by some weakling snake.” he spat.

 

 

“Why you arrogant son of a…” her tiny frame shook in indignant fury.

 

Soft, high-pitched giggling broke through the glaring contest. Both heads turned to the inu child who was fighting a loosing battle against the humor that remained clasped under her tiny hand. “Well, I dunno `bout that but Papa wasn't exactly graceful when he smacked into that tree.”

 

Kagome's eyes widened and her lips set in a smirk. “Not stupid enough?”

 

The hanyou huffed and started to stare at the opposite wall. The miko shook her head and turned towards the other demon. Their eyes locked and she felt an emotion flicker across the tiny face. Her smirk changed to a frown and she scooted closer to the other girl.

 

“Your name is Izayoi, isn't it?”

 

Inuyasha's breathing suddenly hitched and he wheeled around. The child sighed, “I think it was my Grandmother's name once.” she scrunched her nose “but only uncle calls me that. Toushi likes to call me Iza when we play together. I like that much better.”

 

Kagome nodded and quickly looked over her shoulder to see Inuyasha with a far off look on his face. -His mother`s name. He must really miss her…- She turned back to the subject at hand.

 

“Can you tell me, Iza, what that place was? The one I went to after you saved me?”

 

Iza's ears flattened and she turned to stare at the crisscrossing brambles. From where she sat she could see the darkening sky and the stains of the setting sun through the veil of leaves. “I hope they come for us. I don't like the dark. It isn't nice.” The child fell silent for a long time and simply continued to stare to the outside world.

 

Inuyasha turned his head from one girl to the other and growled his annoyance. The miko sat him soundly and was about to repeat her question. “Iza…”

 

“I don't like it there. The sea goes on forever and ever and now that I'm older, I get lost. Uncle told me once that I shouldn`t go there anymore. He said it was wrong to steal her privacy. Toushi had to come and get me one time when I was gone for to long. He never told me if he ever went back. Toushi called it the Sea of Dreams. ” She said all this very quietly. “I told him it was a stupid name and he put honey in my hair. He doesn't understand. It is a stupid name.”

 

“Why?” Inuyasha tried to feign disinterest but it was clear he was lying through his fangs.

 

“Because…”, Kagome frowned “there not dreams.”

 

“There memories.”

 

“What?” the hanyou was thoroughly and miserably confused.

 

“Whom do they belong to?” Kagome let the unanswered question hang in the air between her and the smaller demon.

 

The child called Iza half turned and her silver hair came alive in a flaming dance of sunlight that it caught. Her smile was a sad one and in the light she seemed much older then she was.

 

“They belong to my sister. She doesn't say it, but I don't think she wants to remember anything.”

 

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Author's Note

There it is ladies and gentleman. Chapter 4. I would like to apologize once again for not updating sooner. I'm glad I finally got this out. Thank u for all your support. Hope you liked it guys. Remember to R/ R-all criticism welcome! Till next time, bye: P - thesoulcollector