A/N: Don't ask why I wrote it. It was midnight, I was half-asleep, and for some reason a Hojou/Kagome plot bunny attacked. And lo, the plot bunny desired slightly WAFFy fluff with a bit of angst. Damn plot bunny, they always want the impossible.
"All In My Dreams"
Kagome woke up with a start. She'd had that dream again, the one about the Sengoku Jidai. . . the one that always ended badly. The dream that was based on reality. It had haunted her ever since the day that she realized it was all over.
She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. A face, dusky in the dark room, was in her line of sight. The pale light of the half-moon seeping through the window cast shadows around his eyes, and the shadows moved as he smiled at her.
"Hojou?"
"That must have been some dream. You were talking in your sleep." He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her fondly. "You were telling someone named Naraku to die, and calling for others. . . Sango, I think, and an Inuyasha."
She nodded.
Hojou put an arm around her and she snuggled closer, leaning into his chest. Kagome breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of soap and laundry detergent and something that was distinctly Hojou; sweat and skin and the scent that was his own. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. From underneath her bangs, she could see his face without him knowing. He looked worried, she realized, worried about her.
"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."
His arm tightened around her waist. "You have that nightmare a lot, though."
She had to tell him; she hated having this secret. They'd been married a year, and she still hadn't told him about the Sengoku Jidai. It wasn't a direct lie, but she was keeping the truth from her husband. . .
She had to tell him something, clear up even the tiniest bit she could. She flopped over on her back.
"Hojou, you never really believed that I was actually that sick all throughout junior high and high school, did you?"
The corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile. "No, not really. If it had been one disease, I might have, but you had more illnesses than a hypochondriac." He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "And you're definitely not a hypochondriac."
"How come you never asked?"
"I figured that you had your reasons, and you'd tell me if and when you wanted to."
He's too good and sweet, Kagome thought. She was still amazed at how accepting he was. Anyone else would have said something about her abscences, but not Hojou.
No, not her Hojou.
She closed her eyes. "I was travelling pretty much the whole time. It wasn't very far, but it was a long trip." She paused. "I'm sorry, that didn't make much sense."
He nuzzled her throat, resting his forehead against her cheek. His hair was soft, and she reached up a hand and ran it through the strands. "It's alright. Lots of things don't make sense." He kissed her, leaning farther over and taking her in his arms.
"The people I was talking to in the dream were the people I travelled with. I think you would have liked them, Hojou. They were good people."
"Except for the Naraku fellow you were wishing death on, I gather."
The name still made Kagome shudder a bit. "No. . . he was not a good person. Damn baboon-suited. . ." She growled. "But no, everyone else, they were wonderful people. They had their faults, but they were still good."
Hojou was silent for a moment, and then he spoke again, his breath tickling her skin. "Why don't you ever speak to them?"
She swallowed. "They're gone. Not dead, but gone all the same," she said. She could never see them again. When the Shikon no Tama was purified and the wish made, she couldn't go back to the feudal era. The well wouldn't let her through.
Damn the well. It had started it all; had gotten her pulled into another era, and when she had come to love that time and its people, it wouldn't let her return. Kagome choked back a sob. She'd tried to keep the Sengoku Jidai out of her mind, but it wouldn't leave. . . and now that she'd actually talked about it, for the first time in years, it was overwhelming her. Memories that she'd thought she had repressed came flooding back.
Sango's shy smile. Miroku's laughter. Shippou's schemes. Inuyasha's gruff kindness. Campfire conversations and hot springs incidents, dead youkai and the final battle. A wish made and a world lost.
Hojou held her quietly, cradling her shaking body. He let her cry into his chest without question. Once again, Kagome realized how lucky she was to have him. He didn't say a thing; he just understood. He was there for her.
When her tears were gone, he smoothed her hair back. "I'm sorry, Kagome."
"Don't be. It's the past." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"The past can still hurt, though."
Kagome wondered how she could have ever thought him to be naive and - plainly put - a bit thick-headed. It just went to show, she decided, that appearances were more than deceiving - they were downright wrong sometimes.
"The past is all in my dreams now. I'll get over it." She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Besides, I have you, and you make everything better."
Hojou chuckled and rolled over onto his back. He drew Kagome on top of him and held her close. "I love you so much, Kagome," he whispered. He kissed her, a sweet kiss that tasted faintly of minty toothpaste, and she smiled into his mouth.
"I love you too, Hojou." She kissed him back, thanking the kami that even if her feudal friends were only in dreams, she had Hojou in her arms.
*el fin*
:::dreams are fleeting, but reviews are forever:::
"All In My Dreams"
Kagome woke up with a start. She'd had that dream again, the one about the Sengoku Jidai. . . the one that always ended badly. The dream that was based on reality. It had haunted her ever since the day that she realized it was all over.
She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. A face, dusky in the dark room, was in her line of sight. The pale light of the half-moon seeping through the window cast shadows around his eyes, and the shadows moved as he smiled at her.
"Hojou?"
"That must have been some dream. You were talking in your sleep." He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her fondly. "You were telling someone named Naraku to die, and calling for others. . . Sango, I think, and an Inuyasha."
She nodded.
Hojou put an arm around her and she snuggled closer, leaning into his chest. Kagome breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of soap and laundry detergent and something that was distinctly Hojou; sweat and skin and the scent that was his own. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. From underneath her bangs, she could see his face without him knowing. He looked worried, she realized, worried about her.
"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."
His arm tightened around her waist. "You have that nightmare a lot, though."
She had to tell him; she hated having this secret. They'd been married a year, and she still hadn't told him about the Sengoku Jidai. It wasn't a direct lie, but she was keeping the truth from her husband. . .
She had to tell him something, clear up even the tiniest bit she could. She flopped over on her back.
"Hojou, you never really believed that I was actually that sick all throughout junior high and high school, did you?"
The corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile. "No, not really. If it had been one disease, I might have, but you had more illnesses than a hypochondriac." He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "And you're definitely not a hypochondriac."
"How come you never asked?"
"I figured that you had your reasons, and you'd tell me if and when you wanted to."
He's too good and sweet, Kagome thought. She was still amazed at how accepting he was. Anyone else would have said something about her abscences, but not Hojou.
No, not her Hojou.
She closed her eyes. "I was travelling pretty much the whole time. It wasn't very far, but it was a long trip." She paused. "I'm sorry, that didn't make much sense."
He nuzzled her throat, resting his forehead against her cheek. His hair was soft, and she reached up a hand and ran it through the strands. "It's alright. Lots of things don't make sense." He kissed her, leaning farther over and taking her in his arms.
"The people I was talking to in the dream were the people I travelled with. I think you would have liked them, Hojou. They were good people."
"Except for the Naraku fellow you were wishing death on, I gather."
The name still made Kagome shudder a bit. "No. . . he was not a good person. Damn baboon-suited. . ." She growled. "But no, everyone else, they were wonderful people. They had their faults, but they were still good."
Hojou was silent for a moment, and then he spoke again, his breath tickling her skin. "Why don't you ever speak to them?"
She swallowed. "They're gone. Not dead, but gone all the same," she said. She could never see them again. When the Shikon no Tama was purified and the wish made, she couldn't go back to the feudal era. The well wouldn't let her through.
Damn the well. It had started it all; had gotten her pulled into another era, and when she had come to love that time and its people, it wouldn't let her return. Kagome choked back a sob. She'd tried to keep the Sengoku Jidai out of her mind, but it wouldn't leave. . . and now that she'd actually talked about it, for the first time in years, it was overwhelming her. Memories that she'd thought she had repressed came flooding back.
Sango's shy smile. Miroku's laughter. Shippou's schemes. Inuyasha's gruff kindness. Campfire conversations and hot springs incidents, dead youkai and the final battle. A wish made and a world lost.
Hojou held her quietly, cradling her shaking body. He let her cry into his chest without question. Once again, Kagome realized how lucky she was to have him. He didn't say a thing; he just understood. He was there for her.
When her tears were gone, he smoothed her hair back. "I'm sorry, Kagome."
"Don't be. It's the past." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"The past can still hurt, though."
Kagome wondered how she could have ever thought him to be naive and - plainly put - a bit thick-headed. It just went to show, she decided, that appearances were more than deceiving - they were downright wrong sometimes.
"The past is all in my dreams now. I'll get over it." She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Besides, I have you, and you make everything better."
Hojou chuckled and rolled over onto his back. He drew Kagome on top of him and held her close. "I love you so much, Kagome," he whispered. He kissed her, a sweet kiss that tasted faintly of minty toothpaste, and she smiled into his mouth.
"I love you too, Hojou." She kissed him back, thanking the kami that even if her feudal friends were only in dreams, she had Hojou in her arms.
*el fin*
:::dreams are fleeting, but reviews are forever:::