CHAPTER ONE
*
"Inuyasha, are you okay?"
Inuyasha jolted awake, almost tipping off the tree branch. He clutched at the rough bark until he regained his bearings. The remnants of his nightmare seemed to fade away around him like mist in the morning sun. "Huh... wha..." he said, confused.
"You were sort of mumbling," Kagome said from the bottom of the tree. "Moaning a little bit. Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah." Inuyasha rubbed his eyes with his fist. "Just a dream."
But it hadn't just been a dream. His heart was still racing from the memory of that dream -- even a moment of that memory was enough to make him shudder. His fingers dug into the tree branch, leaving long gouges in the bark. He watched Kagome wander back to the campsite and slip back into her sleeping bag, apparently reassured that he was okay.
Inuyasha sprawled out on the branch again and closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them again. Damn... am I going to get any more sleep after that nightmare? he thought. Frustrated, he shifted up on the branch and stared up at the moon.
It was the same dream that had haunted him for months. Inuyasha was racing through the ruined village, clutching the Shikon jewel in his hand. He felt a dizzying, heady mixture of pleasure and pain -- pleasure that he was finally going to get what he wanted... and pain that Kikyo had betrayed him. Now, when he was awake, he remembered that she hadn't. But in the dream, everything was all mixed up.
Then he heard her call, "INUYASHA!" right before her arrow seared through the air. It struck him in the chest, pinning him to the massive tree. Hot pain seared through his chest... and he looked up to see her standing there with her bow, just glaring at him.
This dream had been even worse. When he looked up at Kikyo, Inuyasha had seen her shift into... Kagome. Same short schoolgirl dress, rumpled hair. But the same cold expression, and a still-shivering bow in her hand. His eyes had widened with shock and fear... and then he had woken up.
All stupid, he thought, rubbing his eyes again. There must've been something bad in those fish we ate last night.
Suddenly he heard something flit by the camp. Inuyasha stiffened and grabbed Tetsusaiga, ready to destroy any stray demons that came by the camp. Sango and Miroku were still asleep, so if anything attacked...
"Calm down, it's just me!"
The fattest, clumsiest, ugliest squirrel that Inuyasha had ever seen staggered into the camp and tripped over Kirara's tails.
Inuyasha blinked. "And who the hell are you?"
"Me!" There was a loud popping noise, and the squirrel turned into Shippo.
"Oh. It's you." Inuyasha sank down on the branch. "And why'd you turn into a fat squirrel? Or was that a badger?"
"I was a mouse, stupid!" Shippo said indignantly.
"Who're you callin' stupid?" Inuyasha said acidly. "At least I know what a mouse looks like. Besides, what are you doin' up at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"
"Well, I saw something in the sky," Shippo said reluctantly. "It sort of flew past the moon. I wasn't sure if it was something bad, so I didn't wake you guys up. I thought I'd go investigate myself and find out what was going on."
"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha felt himself tense instinctively. "And what did you find?"
Shippo squirmed. "Well, I didn't really find anything. The thing was sort of a... it looked kind of like a tadpole made out of silk."
Inuyasha tried to visualize what Shippo was talking about, and failed. "Never mind -- what did it do?"
"It didn't do anything. It went over to that mountain range and vanished."
"Vanished?"
"It just stopped being there," Shippo explained. "One minute it was there, then it was gone. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but it didn't."
"Hmm." Inuyasha glanced up at the moon, then at the horizon. "Get some sleep, Shippo. We're going to check out it out in the morning."
He waited until the fox was snuggled up against Kagome. Then Inuyasha curled up on the branch and closed his eyes again. This time, dreams of Kikyo were banished by thoughts of Shippo's strange apparition.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha, are you okay?"
Inuyasha jolted awake, almost tipping off the tree branch. He clutched at the rough bark until he regained his bearings. The remnants of his nightmare seemed to fade away around him like mist in the morning sun. "Huh... wha..." he said, confused.
"You were sort of mumbling," Kagome said from the bottom of the tree. "Moaning a little bit. Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah." Inuyasha rubbed his eyes with his fist. "Just a dream."
But it hadn't just been a dream. His heart was still racing from the memory of that dream -- even a moment of that memory was enough to make him shudder. His fingers dug into the tree branch, leaving long gouges in the bark. He watched Kagome wander back to the campsite and slip back into her sleeping bag, apparently reassured that he was okay.
Inuyasha sprawled out on the branch again and closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them again. Damn... am I going to get any more sleep after that nightmare? he thought. Frustrated, he shifted up on the branch and stared up at the moon.
It was the same dream that had haunted him for months. Inuyasha was racing through the ruined village, clutching the Shikon jewel in his hand. He felt a dizzying, heady mixture of pleasure and pain -- pleasure that he was finally going to get what he wanted... and pain that Kikyo had betrayed him. Now, when he was awake, he remembered that she hadn't. But in the dream, everything was all mixed up.
Then he heard her call, "INUYASHA!" right before her arrow seared through the air. It struck him in the chest, pinning him to the massive tree. Hot pain seared through his chest... and he looked up to see her standing there with her bow, just glaring at him.
This dream had been even worse. When he looked up at Kikyo, Inuyasha had seen her shift into... Kagome. Same short schoolgirl dress, rumpled hair. But the same cold expression, and a still-shivering bow in her hand. His eyes had widened with shock and fear... and then he had woken up.
All stupid, he thought, rubbing his eyes again. There must've been something bad in those fish we ate last night.
Suddenly he heard something flit by the camp. Inuyasha stiffened and grabbed Tetsusaiga, ready to destroy any stray demons that came by the camp. Sango and Miroku were still asleep, so if anything attacked...
"Calm down, it's just me!"
The fattest, clumsiest, ugliest squirrel that Inuyasha had ever seen staggered into the camp and tripped over Kirara's tails.
Inuyasha blinked. "And who the hell are you?"
"Me!" There was a loud popping noise, and the squirrel turned into Shippo.
"Oh. It's you." Inuyasha sank down on the branch. "And why'd you turn into a fat squirrel? Or was that a badger?"
"I was a mouse, stupid!" Shippo said indignantly.
"Who're you callin' stupid?" Inuyasha said acidly. "At least I know what a mouse looks like. Besides, what are you doin' up at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"
"Well, I saw something in the sky," Shippo said reluctantly. "It sort of flew past the moon. I wasn't sure if it was something bad, so I didn't wake you guys up. I thought I'd go investigate myself and find out what was going on."
"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha felt himself tense instinctively. "And what did you find?"
Shippo squirmed. "Well, I didn't really find anything. The thing was sort of a... it looked kind of like a tadpole made out of silk."
Inuyasha tried to visualize what Shippo was talking about, and failed. "Never mind -- what did it do?"
"It didn't do anything. It went over to that mountain range and vanished."
"Vanished?"
"It just stopped being there," Shippo explained. "One minute it was there, then it was gone. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but it didn't."
"Hmm." Inuyasha glanced up at the moon, then at the horizon. "Get some sleep, Shippo. We're going to check out it out in the morning."
He waited until the fox was snuggled up against Kagome. Then Inuyasha curled up on the branch and closed his eyes again. This time, dreams of Kikyo were banished by thoughts of Shippo's strange apparition.
TO BE CONTINUED