InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Path You Follow ❯ Problems in the Household ( Prologue )

"I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in the fair daylight. But I cannot come in unless you dream of me." -Prince Lir, `The Last Unicorn'

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me in any way, form or manner. The creator of Inuyasha is Rumiko Takahshi. But hey, I own Yukiko. . . even though she isn't much of an exciting character right now. . . I'll work on it.

Author's note: Well, here it is! I finally started working on the sequel to `The Bliss of Nights Forgotten' I'm so happy ^_^ That story did a lot better then I thought it would. I never expected to get so many great reviews!!! I would have had this out a lot sooner if my muse didn't run away to get married to some stupid Popsicle stick in Vegas. Damn the both of them! I don't usually write from first person perspectives but I made the prologue in this manner so that reader's can get a feel of how everyone feels after what happened in `bliss'. Anyways, read, review and enjoy!

Prologue

~Kagome~

It started as it usually does. I'm walking through a cave, the only light is behind me where the entrance lies. As I near the end I can hear faint chanting. Curious, I quicken my pace and as I continue on the voice becomes louder. It is distinctly feminine and it seems to draw me in, urging me to come closer. The sound is soothing and it caresses my ears.

Eventually I reach the caves end, there is a statue in its center and before it kneels a woman. Her long hair cascades down her back in dark waves. She makes no move to acknowledge my presence and I just stand there watching her back and listening to her voice that is steadily becoming softer. Suddenly, she turns to me. Her dark eyes catch mine and I am unable to look away. There is no emotion in those depths; her eyes are completely black. That is when the fear enters me.

I cannot tear my gaze away from her eyes; I realize this as my heart begins beating erratically. Pain flares in my chest, my skin is tingling and I begin to perspire. By now my terror is growing, I know what to expect. This has happened to me every night for six months now. The real pain doesn't come until she smiles cruelly at me and speaks.

"They say the eyes are the windows to one's soul," and the agony begins.

The dark heat surrounded me as I threw my head back in a silent scream. No sound could be heard save for the maniacal laughter of my tormentor. Total agony consuming every inch of my body pure pain coursing through my heart; this was true death. I saw nothing but black and felt only the burning of my flesh. In my mind I could almost imagine the skin melting from my very bones. But that wasn't all; there was also the tainted feeling that lingered within me. A different type of agony that corrupted my soul and made me believe I deserved the torture I was now receiving. Even as my mind told me none of it was real. `This is nothing,' I scream internally. Nevertheless, the pain continued. The unseen flames burning the tears from my eyes.

Finally, after an eternity, a voice breaks the vicious cycle. The burning begins to fade as the darkness begins to clear. I welcome the light, opening my eyes fully to look into a pair of concerned, gold-colored eyes. I sigh in relief, willing my memory to banish the intense sensations I felt in my dream

I offer my silver-haired savior a half-hearted smile as he puts his arm around me to aid me in sitting up. I lean back against the pillows and put a hand to my forehead, wiping the perspiration from my brow. Sitting next to me while avoiding my gaze he fidgets nervously. This time a real smile graces my lips as I speak.

"Arigato, Inuyasha."

~Yukiko~

The sun feels good. Especially in the morning, nothing is better then being out in the morning sunshine. To feel the gentle rays warming my cheeks as I walk through the lush gardens of Sesshoumaru-sama's castle, it is bliss. There is only one other thing I would rather do. . . I can feel my cheeks heat in a blush as I near my destination. The basket I carry is filled with food. It's rather heavy and I carry it with both hands and let it hit against my knees as I walk towards one of the trees in the center of the garden.

Placing the basket at the base of the tree I use one of my hands to shield my eyes from the sun as I gaze up into the branches. I call out to him, cursing at myself for sounding so timid. But it's natural, my voice always sounded so uncertain and afraid.

"Inuyasha." I call out again.

I watch as he jumps from one of the upper branches. He seems to almost float to the ground as he lands gracefully at my side. I am always awed by his strength, that jump would have killed any human but to him it's nothing. Perhaps that's why I prefer to be in his company; I feel safe around him. I look up into his eyes and am shaken from my reverie when he gives me one of those looks that says `well, what do you want?" I smile and look away, trying to hide the deepening blush.

"G-gomen, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to bother you." He shrugs and a knot of nervousness forms in my abdomen. I regret having been so bold as to come alone.

"Feh! I wasn't doing anything anyways. So, what do you want?" I almost laugh at the tone in his voice. Even I can tell that the irritation and indifference is forced.

"You weren't at breakfast. . . I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food." I hear myself say, motioning to the basket at my feet.

Suddenly there's a pain in my chest and I instinctively wrap my arms around my ribs as I'm seized by a fit. My right hand goes up to cover my mouth as the violent coughs rack my body. The harsh sound fills the air, I can't breath and I soon fall onto my knees. I'm too distracted by the need to fill my lungs with oxygen to appreciate the fact that Inuyasha's arm is around my shoulders.

The fit leaves as quickly as it came and I am left on the ground panting for breath. I close my hand around the crimson liquid dotting my palm. My coughing fits have started occurring more often. It wasn't this bad until I started ignoring them, the voices in my head. Kagome told me they are spirits that are trapped in my body. After I found out I made a conscious effort to block them from my mind and it seems to have worked. I try not to think about it. All I want is to spend the rest of my life here, no matter how short it will be.

I know I'm going to die. Something is eating away at my lungs, slowly devouring my soul. I'm so lost in my thoughts I hardly notice that Inuyasha is holding onto the wrist of my right hand. He pries the fingers open, I forgot that he was a hanyou. He can smell the blood, there's no way to hide it from him.

Our eyes meet and my heart beats rapidly, I wonder if he feels the same fluttering in his stomach as I do. But he looks away, his nose upturned as he sniffs the air. His eyes widen momentarily as he gazes up at one of the balconies. Turning away from me I hear him whisper `Kagome,' before jumping into the treetops and running towards the room she shares with Sesshoumaru-sama.

~Sango~

It's been about eight months. Well, it's actually been seven months three weeks and five days, exactly. I don't count the hours; that would be insane. It's still hard not to cry when I think about him. Kohaku my little brother, the last member of my family; destroyed by Naraku.

It's harder to move on now that Naraku has been defeated. I don't really have a purpose anymore. I just sit around Sesshoumaru-sama's castle all day along with the others. I need to be out doing something; anything to take my mind off the hauntingly dead look I remember seeing in my brothers' eyes. If it weren't for Kagome-chan I would have left this place months ago. I have no idea where I would have gone, probably off to some small village. Maybe find a husband?

I doubt it. The chances of me finding a husband at my age are rather slim. So I let Kagome-chan talk me into staying. There was the promise of another adventure. But that seemed unlikely now. Both Yukiko and Kagome refused to talk about it. I think Yukiko-chan is afraid, and I can't blame her. Finding out that strange spirits take over my body when I'm not careful would probably frighten me to.

But what about Kagome-chan? Surely she wasn't afraid. After all she had helped to defeat the greatest evil to have plagued our era. What held her back? Sesshoumaru-sama, perhaps? I still have a hard time believing they are in love. He seems so indifferent. I rarely ever see him even touch her. Not so much as a fond embrace or even holding hands. Nothing. If it weren't for the fact they share a room I would think they actually avoided each other. But then, there were times when his eyes soften when he watches her. He looks like he is almost about to smile. Still, I don't see how Kagome-chan can stand that type of relationship. Sesshoumaru is almost as bad as Inuyasha was.

I shrug those thoughts away as I enter the garden. Sitting at the base of a tree with a sad, wistful look on her face is Yukiko. Walking towards her I see her hands rest on her lap with the palms facing up. The scarlet stain on her palm alarms me and I know she has had another coughing fit. I worry about her, she's so quiet and vulnerable and I know she tries to hide her coughing from us. She doesn't really fit in with our group. I doubt she has ever felt hate or malice, not like the rest of us. We were all bonded by the hatred we bore for Naraku, what bond does she share with us?

I take her hand in my own and it strikes me that she must be lonely. I'm sure she can sense the lack of familiarity that the rest of us feel with each other.

"Daijobou, Yukiko-chan?" I hear myself ask. All the while I wonder why she is sitting out here alone with a basket of food. She doesn't speak, just smiles faintly and nods. I help her to stand and we head back into the castle.

~Miroku~

Hmmm. . . I wonder where Sango is. My hand burns with the knowledge that I haven't touched her since dinner last night. It's almost noon and I haven't even spoken to her yet, much less groped her. I sigh dejectedly. Perhaps she is with Kagome-sama.

I make my trip from the dining hall to the stairs leading up to the personal chambers. The two children are following me and I turn to speak with them.

"Shippou, Rin-chan why are you following me?" I kneel down to their level. Rin smiles brightly. Such a cute little girl, she'll probably be very beautiful when she grows up. . . Anyways, Shippou rolls his eyes at me before answering.

"Miroku no baka, we have better things to do then follow you around. We are going to wake Kagome up for Rin's lessons."

I smile as I offer to accompany them. They shrug indifferently as I jog up the steps trying to keep up with their running. The thought of seeing Kagome in a rumpled and perhaps loosely tied yukata is an alluring one, maybe she even sleeps in the nude. . .

I was almost disappointed when Sango stopped having to wear her tight fitting armor and Sesshoumaru-sama made Kagome-sama dress in traditional kimonos rather then the short one she had from her time. The children have stopped at Kagome-sama's bedroom door with their ears pressed against it. Standing behind them I too press my ear against the wood. I wonder who she could be talking to since her youkai lord left to patrol his borders early this morning. I listen carefully to the conversation from within. It seems to be Inuyasha in the room. Hmmmm. . . interesting.

"Arigato, Inuyasha."

"Feh, I didn't do anything. Just woke you up since you stupid ningens sleep so damn much."

I can almost picture Kagome-sama's knowing smile.

"Oi, Kagome. . . what were you dreaming about?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Inuyasha. It's not really important."

I could feel someone breathing down my back. Fear crept up my spine as I turned to find a rather angry taiyoukai looking about ready to have fried houshi for lunch. Thankfully, all he did was say one word.

"Move." Like lightning, I was five feet away from the door in a second. I notice the children had acted just as quickly. I couldn't help but look into the room as Sesshoumaru threw the door open. Things weren't looking so good for my hanyou friend. On the edge of the bed sat Kagome with Inuyasha kneeling in front of her, their faces barely an inch apart and his claws holding her small shoulders. It was probably nothing, they were after all friends their position wasn't that intimate. Perhaps Sesshoumaru-sama would think that as well. He growled. Nope, things were definitely looking bad.

~Inuyasha~

She was having another dream. I can smell it, she smells like fear and rain when she dreams. I shake her shoulders and call out her name as she whimpers and shudders in her sleep.

"Kagome!" her eyes open slowly. She sighs and I help her sit up. Leaning against the pillows, she puts a hand to her forehead and smiles.

"Arigato, Inuyasha."

Her gratitude is too much for me I turn away. Offering her the only answer I can without giving away my feelings.

"Feh, I didn't do anything. Just woke you up since you stupid ningens sleep so damn much."

I watch her through the corner of my eyes and she smiles again. Suddenly I'm filled with a need to know what scares her so much every night. I want to protect her from whatever it is. I'm curious to know what terrors haunt her dreams. In the back of my mind an image of her winking at me and saying `Curiosity killed the cat,' pops up. I remember her saying that to me once. I ask, knowing she won't answer.

"Oi, Kagome. . . what were you dreaming about?"

This time she is the one to look away. She moves to sit next to me at the edge of the bed she shares with my brother. I wince, thinking that this is where they spend most of their time together.

"I don't want to talk about it, Inuyasha. It's not really important."

There are a lot of things I want to say. I want to tell her it is important because it's frightening her. Also, I'd like to let her know that I'd do anything in my power to stop whatever it was. I move from the bed to kneel in front of her so that she will meet my gaze. Still, she looks away. I grasp her seemingly frail shoulders in my claws and bring my face close to hers. Our breath mingles and I can smell her crisp fresh scent mixed in with Sesshoumaru's.

"Kagome, it is important. Why won't you tell me? Why won't you talk to any of us about it?" as the words leave my mouth I hear scrambling outside her door. Before I can move the door is thrown open and Sesshoumaru steps in.

Realizing the compromising position we are in, I stand to face my brother. He is furious. He always is when he catches me alone with Kagome. His voice is it's usual cold tone.

"Inuyasha, come with me." I glance at Kagome who shrugs. When I turn to face him again he isn't looking at me anymore. His eyes are on Kagome and she's returning his glare. Then, he turns suddenly on his heel and walks out. I follow him, wondering `what the hell does he want now?'

~Sesshoumaru~

I honestly didn't know what to think. There was Kagome, her face much too close to my brother's. Of course I already knew he was in there, I had sensed him in there from the moment I entered my castle. But I didn't expect to find them in such an intimate position. As if they were just about to kiss.

But, of course, I knew Kagome would never betray me. Is that logic or just male pride? It doesn't matter. I know Kagome loves me. But there is another side of me, the part of me that curses and growls. My animalistic side that was now saying `hanyou is touching mate, kill hanyou.'

I ignored it; well for the most part I did. Only a small growl escaped me. I've had enough of this. Every time I find them together it sends an unfounded sense of jealousy within me. It's about time I set the rules straight.

"Inuyasha, come with me." The hanyou has the nerve to turn away from me to look at Kagome. I see her shrug and then she catches my gaze. She glares at me, the audacity of it! As if she has a reason to be angry with me? My anger deepens as I notice she is still dressed in her thin sleeping yukata, which is hanging loosely from her thin body. Revealing more then was absolutely necessary. Not wanting Inuyasha or the lecherous monk looking at her in her sumptuously messy state, I turn on my heel and leave the room expecting the hanyou to follow; which, of course, he does.

I continue walking until we are both standing in the center of my courtyard. We face each other, and I draw Toukijin out from its sheath. My half-brother does the same with Tetsusaiga. My voice carries well, echoing against the stone surrounding us.

"When I win this battle you will agree to keep away from Kagome. Is that understood, hanyou?"

He answers with a growl and a nod as I lunge forward.

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