InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mysterious Little Visitor ❯ Scroll Three: Reminiscent Nightmares ( Chapter 3 )

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Disclaimer: Just to go through it again. (You know, all that legal-stuff.) Anyways: I do not own Inu-Yasha or the characters, just the ones I've made up throughout. Rumiko Takahashi, Shonen Sunday/Shogakukan, Viz, Oceans Productions, and any other place that distributes my joy known as Inu-Yasha… (No I'm not crazy….at least that's what the pink elephants told me…..) Ok, enjoy now!

Scroll Three: Reminiscent Nightmares

Hot tears soaked into Kagome's shoulder as the boy's body quavered in her embrace. Soft cries drowned in her clothes as everyone sat in respectful silence.

She drew him closer, attempting to assure and steady him. Gently she rocked him, patting his back lightly with a constant rhythm; like a heartbeat. "Shh…. It's all right now…. Shh…. It's all right. You're safe…." Kagome kept murmuring in the small dog-ears until the boy's whimpering quieted and finally petered out.

"Is he asleep?" Sango asked softly, worrying about the youngster.

"It appears so," Miroku said slowly, scanning the child's form with his eyes.

The boy's chest rose and fell evenly. For the first time, the body was fully relaxed.

Miroku wondered to himself silently, It does seem odd that this child resembles Inu-Yasha so greatly…. What is the connection? "We, too, should rest. It is growing later; we will need our strength for our journey… We are going to help the child, are we not, Inu-Yasha?" he glanced over at a pensive Inu-Yasha, who merely nodded. "Good. Well, sleep soundly."

"Kagome," Shippo whined as he snuggled against her, "aren't you going to bed?"

"Hmm? Yes, Shippo, I am." She smiled as she stood up, carefully holding the young dog-demon. She made her way to sleeping bag, which the little fox-child had rolled out for her. Gingerly, Kagome lowered the sleeping boy. "Shippo, in you go." She covered the two boys up and started to walk away.

Shippo's blue eyes squinted up in cute, little kid annoyance. "Kagome, come on!"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry, I'll be back soon." She smiled sweetly at him as she sat on the log by him. "Don't worry. I just want to think for a little bit. I'm not quite sleepy yet. You go to dreamland ahead of me, ok?"

"Ok, Kagome…." He snuggled deep in the sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

She waited until Shippo's breathing evened out and a small snore before she got up and began to wander away from the sleeping boys. That's really weird…. That kid…. I wonder…. She gazed at the young dog-demon sympathetically. Poor little guy…he's so young…. I wonder why his parents had him come in search for that healing herb for his father? Kagome smiled gently, as the boy's face remained so tender and sweet, so innocent. Inu-Yasha looked just like that when I first found him. Everyone says he was dead, but I've always thought of him as merely asleep…. He's so lively now; it's hard to believe he was once this serene…. She began to drift from the campsite, along with her thoughts.

A voice behind her whispered, "Kagome, where are you going?"

She spun around and sighed in relief. She'd been so in thought she hadn't even sensed him coming. "Oh, nowhere, Inu-Yasha."

"Is that so?" he asked as he walked up beside her. "Then what were you doing wandering aimlessly from the campsite?"

Kagome sighed. "Nothing…. It was just…nothing…."

"When you say nothing, you usually mean something." Inu-Yasha searched her face for some clue. "So what is it? I can stand here for hours until you tell me." He folded his arms and looked like he was dead-set on doing just that.

"That little kid. I wonder so much about him."

"Like?"

"For instance, why would a kid that young be sent by his parents to look for his father's cure?"

"Maybe it wasn't the parents that sent him," Inu-Yasha uttered in a sagely voice.

Kagome turned her attention to him fully. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Guilt. That's why the kid would come all this way by himself to search for something like that. Guilt…. It can make you do things you never imagined you would do any other way."

"Hmm…. You're probably right."

"Now it's my turn for some answers. How in seven hells does this kid know who we are?" the dog-demon asked pointedly.

"I guess we might have some form of reputation…." She glanced over at him and noticed the somewhat blank expression on his face. "Well, we've taken down a lot of demons the past few months and have gained lots of Shikon Shards. And we've helped lots of people too."

"Feh! I told you we shouldn't just go around helping people. Then everyone will expect it from us." Inu-Yasha did his little 'feh' action and shook his head, looking slightly annoyed.

Kagome matched him tit-for-tat on the annoyance scale and the stare down. "It's the right thing to do and you know it!"

"So?" he questioned, being a little ass once more.

"Ugh…." Kagome sighed.

"And another thing, why does this kid have my name?"

"I want to know why he's so much like you, besides having your name. It's a little creepy."

"…I'll let that one slide…. But, I guess you're right." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I do wonder about how he's so much like me."

She nodded. "Maybe we'll be able to get some answers out of him once he's slept. I mean, he's harmless. He's just a kid, Inu-Yasha," she said, reading the uncertain look on his face.

"Bah, fine. " He sideways glanced over at the kid and had to chuckle in spite of himself. The demon-boy was just a child trying to help his dad. The little one sleeping was kind of cute. The spell of little kids; their cuteness controls all. "He's exhausted."

"I know…. Poor little guy…. I feel sorry for him…."

"Why?"

"When I was looking at that little boy earlier…. I felt so bad for him. I mean, that's got to be so hard to have to see that, your parent so distraught and you seemingly so helpless…."

The memory of Inu-Yasha's mother's last moments passed through his mind.

"Mother…please don't leave me…." A tear slid down a young Inu-Yasha's face.

"Inu-Yasha…my boy…. Please, do not cry." With much effort, his mother wiped the tear away.

Young Inu-Yasha's bottom lip quivered as he watched his mother lying there, knowing her last breath was coming soon. "But I don't want you to die! I don't want to be alone…." And there was nothing he could do.

"Inu-Yasha, you'll never be alone. Your father and I will always look down and watch over you. You have to trust in others…." Droplets of water fell from her violet eyes. "One day, when in your darkest hour, someone will cry for you. And you will cry for someone. Real tears are symbols of love. Never forget that…." Her voice drifted off with the final words, "I love you…."

"Yeah…." he softly agreed. "It's…much harder…having to see them die…."

"Inu-Yasha, it's just as hard not being there in their death hour." Kagome looked down sadly, just 'wildly' guessing at what he was thinking of...or whom he was thinking of….

He nodded gently. His eyes tenderly rested on her. "Kagome…. I never want to face you dying…."

She gazed back up at him, meeting eyes with him. "Hmm?"

The dog-demon's amber gaze shifted to the ground as his hair whipped gently, like moonlight dancing in the midnight. "I couldn't handle that…. I'd rather die first, so that you could be there when I drew my dying breath, taking your scent with me; having it be the last thing that helped my heart beat its final time."

Kagome stood there silently for a moment, the wind softly ruffling the trees and touching every emotion and sensation in her. Inu-Yasha had turned to the side and she could see his profile. She thought he was so striking standing there, the lights of the night sky shining on him; he was so regal and confident, but pensive and good-hearted.

She blushed lightly in spite of herself. She had never really allowed herself to think about Inu-Yasha that way. Kagome had always reflected on how handsome he truly was. She'd never said so because, for one, he would've reacted weirdly saying how her brain must've been broken or something equally stupid or he would say…. Her heartbeat sped up at the hopeful thought.

As far as she knew, he was still in love with Kikyo and that was whom she was sure he was thinking of. She'd thought for sure he was going to turn away silently and say nothing about not being there for someone in death.

But he hadn't looked away.

Not after she'd said that.

He'd looked at her when he said he couldn't face the idea of her dying. Yet he looked away when he confessed him wanting her near him even when he drew his last breath; when his heart beat its final….

"Inu-Yasha," she whispered quietly.

"Mmm?" He kept his face hidden from her; the red had begun creeping into his cheeks. Inu-Yasha hadn't meant for her to hear that yet. All he could was wonder when the inevitable barrage of 'sits' was going to happen.

Kagome glided over to him, the faint sound of tread-on grass as the only thing rustling the quiet. She stopped just in front of him and noticed something was different about him.

Was he human? No, it was the waxing gibbous tonight.

Definitely not full-demon.

Wait a sec…he didn't have his cloak on.

Kagome saw now where it was. She'd never taken it off. I must've forgotten I had it on. She could smell him on it. There was the scent of dirt, blood, sweat, and air from the treetops, first rains… and lavender. It smelt like her now too.

She laid a hand on his chest; he swiveled his head and glanced over at her, very surprised. She gripped onto his lapel and wrapped her other arm around him and drew herself close to him. Inu-Yasha's steady heartbeat quickened in her ear. "…I don't want to have to see you suffer…. That's why I get so scared when fights start getting rough…because there's always the slim chance you may not make it out alive…." The wind ruffled her black hair, caressing Inu-Yasha's face. She whispered, "I wouldn't be able to bare it…if you died…."

"K-Kagome…." he managed to choke out. Even with his mind screaming out warnings and cries of 'idiot' and 'this isn't right, it won't work out!' he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to have her in his arms, her heart beating against his. He rested his chin on her head. It was a shame it had to end. If the grim reaper had decided to visit Inu-Yasha now, he would have gone with him, a happy man. But, then again, he'd miss her.

"I worry about you so much. I'm sorry I worry you a lot sometimes…."

"It's ok…. Really…. I like being able to protect you…and I like knowing you worry about me…." Inu-Yasha tucked a tendril of her black hair behind an ear. She was so gorgeous…he'd never told her so. In all honesty, he was just too scared. There were too many reasons of 'why' to count.

They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, but it was really only a short while.

I wish I could…. Inu-Yasha thought. I want to so badly…. He lifted his chin off her head and tilted her face up, meeting with those big grey eyes. He leaned over a little at first before changing his mind and whispering in her ear instead, "It's getting late, Kagome. You need some sleep. " He brushed her hair back as he undid his arms from around her, as she did hers around him.

Kagome nodded slightly, smiling lovingly at him. "All right. You better too…. Here." She took off his cloak and draped it over his chest. "I don't want you to get cold." She took his hand in hers and began to lead him back to the campsite. "Come on, sleep by the fire tonight, Inu-Yasha. It's starting to get nippy."

He nodded his agreement, as he gripped his kimono cloak in one hand, and Kagome's hand in the other. "Ok." For one of the few times in life, Inu-Yasha smiled a genuine smile. A gentle one, nothing mocking about; just heart. Kagome…. I'm glad you came into my life….

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A/N: YESSS! I finished another one! I hope everyone liked it and all. Yeah, I know it was a little sappy, but I had to write in a little bit of romance. Don't worry; I'll make it up to you later. But I have to keep in balance both the cool fighting and the sweet romance. Hey, as a girl myself, I love some romance, but not over kill. But I do enjoy the killing aspect in the fighting. Hehehe…. And people wonder about me why? Don't answer that… Well, write me and tell me what you thought. Once again, please, please, please no SPAM! Write to: kaguya_kage@hotmail.com

Inu-Yasha: Evil wench! You'll pay for doing this to me!!! *fidgets with the restraints on his wrists*

Evil wench? *eyes tear up* That's soooo sweet!

Inu-Yasha: Eh?

That's what you called Kagome!!! That's so kawaii!

Inu-Yasha: Uhhh…. *blushes*

Please come back and read more. (I might be on more than one site so, look around!) See ya later!

~Moonlight Shadow

P.S. I won't use too many of the words in Japanese for description. (kawaii=cute) But here:

Sankon Tetsusou (Tessou)= Soul Shattering Iron Claw (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)

If there's more I'll tell you. Bye now!