InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sight Unseen ❯ Nightmare ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: SylverAngel 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.22.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.22.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Completed
Sight Unseen
Chapter 10: Nightmare
True to his form, Miroku had found them lodging for the night. Fortunately, it seemed as if this time he'd managed to find a village that actually housed no youkai. That theory would be proven right or wrong come morning, but so far, it hadn't been tested.
All but the now-human Inuyasha were sleeping. He sat against the wall, staring out the window on the opposite side of the room. He hated not being able to see the stars at night; he could always count on them being there, even when it was cloudy. The consistency calmed him, especially on nights such as this one, when he took on the form he inherited from his mother. She had always told him stories about the stars and constellations, her soothing voice lulling him to sleep.
A small sound jerked Inuyasha from his thoughts. He'd almost dismissed it, but heard it once more. He mentally cursed his diminshed senses, as he sat still and tried to identify the noise.
Muffled crying. That was the only thing that came to mind at the small, sharp intakes of breath he could pick out as they grew louder.
As quietly as he could, he stood and padded over to Kagome. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, but he was positive she was the one trying to hide the near-silent sobs.
Uncertainly, Inuyasha crouched beside her and laid a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Kagome?" he whispered.
She jumped and turned over quickly, nearly socking him in the chin, but he'd leaned back as soon as he felt her twitch. He could see the still-damp tear tracks on her face in the faint light from outside.
"Kagome, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied in a choked voice, turning back away from him.
"It's not nothing," the hanyou-gone-human muttered, gently trying to bring her around to face him again.
She shoved his hand away. "It's nothing, Inuyasha," she sniffed. "Just... just leave it alone."
"Kagome..."
"I'm fine. Please... let it go."
"Damn it, Kagome, why won't you talk to me?" he nearly growled, remembering at the last minute to keep his voice down.
"You're going to wake the others. Just leave me alone."
She let out a ragged sigh when he made no move to bother her again. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she felt one arm snake under her shoulders, the other under her legs. Before she could cry out, he'd covered her mouth with his hand and was quickly striding out the door of the room the group had been given.
She struggled to get away, but even in his human form, he was stronger than she was. "Inu-" she almost got out, before being cut off.
"Hush. Not until we're outside."
He finally set her on her feet when they were just on the outskirts of the sleeping village. "There. Now you can yell and scream at me all you want, but I want you to talk to me."
"I'm going back to sleep," she told him, stomping as she began to head back the way they'd come.
She'd only taken a couple of steps before he pulled her back around by the arm. "No, you're not. You're not going back until you tell me what's wrong. You have to wait until I'm satisfied with your answer before I'll guide you back."
She shook her head, arms folded across her chest defensively. "I told you, it's nothing."
"Is it about the fight with the demoness? With that Shiori?"
He watched as she went rigid, head lowered and fists clenched at her sides. "Why can't you just let it be, Inuyasha?"
"Why won't you tell me?" he countered.
She shook her head, reaching up to wipe the newly falling tears. He caught her hand and pulled her to him, both arms wrapping around her back.
"Kagome, we won. Maybe with a little help, but--"
"No. It's not that," she muttered, shaking her head against his chest. "I... I had a dream. A nightmare." Her fists clenched in his robes.
"About the fight?"
She nodded, praying he wouldn't ask her to say anymore.
"Can you tell me about it?"
It just figured. When she didn't want him to be sensitive, he went and did it anyway, as opposed to when she would prefer him to be, and he wasn't. She went still, wanting to shake her head and refuse.
"Kagome?" he leaned back to look down at her, but she pressed her face back into the fabric covering his chest.
"I... It was... all my fault," she began slowly, then rushed through the rest to ease the memory. "I couldn't shoot, though I could somehow see the bow in my hands, and that other youkai didn't come, and she hurt you, and Sango, and Miroku... and Shippo... and I couldn't do anything, and she just laughed, and all I could see was the blood covering all of you..."
Inuyasha held her tighter as she sobbed out the last. "Shh, Kagome... It's okay." He remembered his mother holding him when he had nightmares as a child, and stroked Kagome's hair as she had done a long time ago. "It never happened. We're all safe."
"But I'm just a danger to you all," she choked out. "You would be so much better off without me."
"Kagome--"
"I can't even see the shards anymore!" she cried, thumping her fists against his chest. "What good am I? I'm just a weak human, like you always tell me. I'm not even a good shard detector anymore."
"Hush," he scolded. "Kagome... you're not a weak human. You, Miroku, and Sango are the strongest humans I know," he told her in a quiet voice. "You can still find the shards. Without you, we wouldn't be able to do that."
"That's what Sango said," she sniffed.
"Well, why didn't you believe her?" Inuyasha asked, giving her a little shake. "She's much better with words than I am. Haven't you figured that out yet?"
Kagome gave a tiny hiccup that was possibly a laugh. "But that's all I'm good for. To find the shards. I can defend myself even less now than I could before. And you don't need me for anything else."
He didn't say anything to that, but turned his head and rested his cheek on her hair, his arms tightening around her.
She was about to pull away when she felt his voice rumble from low in his chest. "Kagome... I need you. More than you know, I need you there with me. You're not just my shard detector. You never were."
Kagome couldn't say anything in response to that, and so just slid her arms down from his chest and around his waist. She hid the small joyous smile against the folds of his red robes and remained quiet. Maybe there was something to his being sensitive when she didn't want him to be.
Inuyasha didn't know how long they stood like that, but when she began to relax more against him, he figured it was time to go back. He pressed a small kiss to the top of her head, then pulled away slightly. "Hmm, Kagome? Are you asleep?"
"No," she mumbled just before yawning.
He chuckled, then gently took her arms from his waist. "Come on, you're almost dead on your feet."
"Okay."
He kept one arm around her shoulders as he guided her back down the path into the village.
Chapter 10: Nightmare
True to his form, Miroku had found them lodging for the night. Fortunately, it seemed as if this time he'd managed to find a village that actually housed no youkai. That theory would be proven right or wrong come morning, but so far, it hadn't been tested.
All but the now-human Inuyasha were sleeping. He sat against the wall, staring out the window on the opposite side of the room. He hated not being able to see the stars at night; he could always count on them being there, even when it was cloudy. The consistency calmed him, especially on nights such as this one, when he took on the form he inherited from his mother. She had always told him stories about the stars and constellations, her soothing voice lulling him to sleep.
A small sound jerked Inuyasha from his thoughts. He'd almost dismissed it, but heard it once more. He mentally cursed his diminshed senses, as he sat still and tried to identify the noise.
Muffled crying. That was the only thing that came to mind at the small, sharp intakes of breath he could pick out as they grew louder.
As quietly as he could, he stood and padded over to Kagome. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, but he was positive she was the one trying to hide the near-silent sobs.
Uncertainly, Inuyasha crouched beside her and laid a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Kagome?" he whispered.
She jumped and turned over quickly, nearly socking him in the chin, but he'd leaned back as soon as he felt her twitch. He could see the still-damp tear tracks on her face in the faint light from outside.
"Kagome, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied in a choked voice, turning back away from him.
"It's not nothing," the hanyou-gone-human muttered, gently trying to bring her around to face him again.
She shoved his hand away. "It's nothing, Inuyasha," she sniffed. "Just... just leave it alone."
"Kagome..."
"I'm fine. Please... let it go."
"Damn it, Kagome, why won't you talk to me?" he nearly growled, remembering at the last minute to keep his voice down.
"You're going to wake the others. Just leave me alone."
She let out a ragged sigh when he made no move to bother her again. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she felt one arm snake under her shoulders, the other under her legs. Before she could cry out, he'd covered her mouth with his hand and was quickly striding out the door of the room the group had been given.
She struggled to get away, but even in his human form, he was stronger than she was. "Inu-" she almost got out, before being cut off.
"Hush. Not until we're outside."
He finally set her on her feet when they were just on the outskirts of the sleeping village. "There. Now you can yell and scream at me all you want, but I want you to talk to me."
"I'm going back to sleep," she told him, stomping as she began to head back the way they'd come.
She'd only taken a couple of steps before he pulled her back around by the arm. "No, you're not. You're not going back until you tell me what's wrong. You have to wait until I'm satisfied with your answer before I'll guide you back."
She shook her head, arms folded across her chest defensively. "I told you, it's nothing."
"Is it about the fight with the demoness? With that Shiori?"
He watched as she went rigid, head lowered and fists clenched at her sides. "Why can't you just let it be, Inuyasha?"
"Why won't you tell me?" he countered.
She shook her head, reaching up to wipe the newly falling tears. He caught her hand and pulled her to him, both arms wrapping around her back.
"Kagome, we won. Maybe with a little help, but--"
"No. It's not that," she muttered, shaking her head against his chest. "I... I had a dream. A nightmare." Her fists clenched in his robes.
"About the fight?"
She nodded, praying he wouldn't ask her to say anymore.
"Can you tell me about it?"
It just figured. When she didn't want him to be sensitive, he went and did it anyway, as opposed to when she would prefer him to be, and he wasn't. She went still, wanting to shake her head and refuse.
"Kagome?" he leaned back to look down at her, but she pressed her face back into the fabric covering his chest.
"I... It was... all my fault," she began slowly, then rushed through the rest to ease the memory. "I couldn't shoot, though I could somehow see the bow in my hands, and that other youkai didn't come, and she hurt you, and Sango, and Miroku... and Shippo... and I couldn't do anything, and she just laughed, and all I could see was the blood covering all of you..."
Inuyasha held her tighter as she sobbed out the last. "Shh, Kagome... It's okay." He remembered his mother holding him when he had nightmares as a child, and stroked Kagome's hair as she had done a long time ago. "It never happened. We're all safe."
"But I'm just a danger to you all," she choked out. "You would be so much better off without me."
"Kagome--"
"I can't even see the shards anymore!" she cried, thumping her fists against his chest. "What good am I? I'm just a weak human, like you always tell me. I'm not even a good shard detector anymore."
"Hush," he scolded. "Kagome... you're not a weak human. You, Miroku, and Sango are the strongest humans I know," he told her in a quiet voice. "You can still find the shards. Without you, we wouldn't be able to do that."
"That's what Sango said," she sniffed.
"Well, why didn't you believe her?" Inuyasha asked, giving her a little shake. "She's much better with words than I am. Haven't you figured that out yet?"
Kagome gave a tiny hiccup that was possibly a laugh. "But that's all I'm good for. To find the shards. I can defend myself even less now than I could before. And you don't need me for anything else."
He didn't say anything to that, but turned his head and rested his cheek on her hair, his arms tightening around her.
She was about to pull away when she felt his voice rumble from low in his chest. "Kagome... I need you. More than you know, I need you there with me. You're not just my shard detector. You never were."
Kagome couldn't say anything in response to that, and so just slid her arms down from his chest and around his waist. She hid the small joyous smile against the folds of his red robes and remained quiet. Maybe there was something to his being sensitive when she didn't want him to be.
Inuyasha didn't know how long they stood like that, but when she began to relax more against him, he figured it was time to go back. He pressed a small kiss to the top of her head, then pulled away slightly. "Hmm, Kagome? Are you asleep?"
"No," she mumbled just before yawning.
He chuckled, then gently took her arms from his waist. "Come on, you're almost dead on your feet."
"Okay."
He kept one arm around her shoulders as he guided her back down the path into the village.