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Fetch

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In the hours Kagome laid within the confines of her sleeping bag, she must've woken at least six times. By the time she dozed off again, she'd snap back awake in a endless cycle of un-refreshing chunks. With each disturbance, she was having the same nightmare over and over and over.

Inuyasha sitting before her – looking dangerously thin, weary and drained….almost as though he was dying –staring at her with a mixture of disbelief, happiness and hope as he whispered quietly, "You're back. You came back." He'd rush at her and embrace her so tightly the wind would be knocked straight from her lungs until he pulled back – his amber eyes drinking in her face like he wanted to memorize every detail before he frowned and sighed in a resigned tone as he placed a gentle kiss on her temple, "I know you'll find me. You always find a way to bring me back. Just…hurry…"

It was a sick joke. Utterly sick. The worst part of all was how real it felt and how utterly defeated he looked in her dream. What was wrong with her?! Why – of all the looks she'd ever seen on his face – was she envisioning one she'd never seen before?! Groaning in frustration, she buried her face in her hands before devolving into tears. She missed him. Terribly. Every second they spent looking for him without the slightest hint of his whereabouts felt like an eternity. It felt like her chest was hollow and there was a maddening buzzing in her mind. Always buzzing, buzzing, buzzing with chaotic, panicked energy as she tried to stay calm and put on a strong face for her friends. It was at night that her semi-hysterical mind played games with her. Realistic, utterly cruel mind games.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango whispered quietly from her place a slight distance away – propping herself up on one elbow and her face a mask of concern, "You were talking in your sleep again."

"Was I?" Kagome murmured dejectedly as she lolled her head to look at her friend, "What'd I say this time?"

"Find me," Sango replied as she chewed the inside of her cheek before she sighed and repeated herself dejectedly, "You whispered find me."

"It was the same dream again," Kagome replied with heavy sigh, "He's looking worse though. He's looking so thin and I swear it looks like his hair is falling out."

"Have you considered it's not a dream?" Miroku suddenly chimed in quietly – making both women jump and whip their heads in his direction, "Perhaps his soul is calling to yours. Have you ever tried asking him a question? Perhaps where he is?"

Shaking her head slowly, Kagome opened her mouth to reply before quickly shutting it. It had never occurred to her to try asking any questions. Furrowing her brow, she propped herself up to look at Miroku more fully in the face as she asked, "Why reach out to me? Why not you or Sango?"

"The answer is obvious," Miroku replied as though even a blind man would be able to see it, "He loves you and you love him."

"No he doesn't," Kagome snorted incredulously as she flopped back into her sleeping bag before murmuring miserably to herself, "He loves Kikyo. Maybe he thinks I'm her. If it is real…which I'm not saying it is…but…"

"Next time you have a dream ask him where he is," Miroku replied wearily - knowint arguing with her was as futile as beating his head against a stone wall - as he closed his eyes, "Now everyone go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

Sighing heavily, Kagome nodded as she tried to get comfortable again. Once more, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she began to drift off when once again the dream returned.

"That was fast," the dreamworld Inuyasha breathed excitedly as he rushed at her and pulled her into an embrace, "It's only been…"

"Where are you?" Kagome asked – her voice slightly muffled by the firerat robe- pulling back slightly to search his face, "If this is real, tell me where you are."

"We're near Kyoto I think," Inuyasha replied breathlessly as he ran the backside of his hand down her face and smiled sadly at her, "I hope you recognize me. What am I saying? Of course you will."

Waking up with a startled gasp, Kagome sat bolt upright – her hands trembling as she placed one against her racing heart. It was real. He was trapped. And what did he mean by her recognizing him? Her stomach churned anxiously at the thought.

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As the days bled into weeks, Inuyasha felt he was beginning to go mad. There were moments where he'd drift away entirely into a strange world of swirling white clouds and mist. Kagome appeared over and over only to vanish moments later. He wanted it to be real. So badly he wanted it to be real. He pretended she'd found him, that she returned, that she loved him. He held her in his arms - never wanting to let go - then he'd be thrust back into reality where he was a dog, a prisoner, and dying slowly. He could feel his body withering away into nothing. He'd taken to eating bark and mud because Kikyo never fed him and she never stopped walking. He was exhausted. He was slowly losing his mind. He was dying. He just hoped he'd die in that world of mist and clouds with the dream version of Kagome in his arms instead of lonely, starving and humiliated.

"We shall spend the evening in Kyoto," Kikyo suddenly spoke up as she tugged on the leash – causing the small dog to stumble slightly from the force, "While we're there, you are not to leave my side. We will depart in the morning."

'Goodie. Maybe I'll finally get some sleep' Inuyasha thought bitterly before sighing wearily and trotting beside her with his ears pinned back, 'Or maybe I'll be lucky enough to die in my sleep. Wouldn't that be the final kick in the pants?'

Kikyo glanced down at him with a look of approval – misinterpreting the pinning of his ears to be submission rather than depression, "I'm glad you're finally submitting to your true master, Inuyasha. You're finally learning your place."

Glancing up at her with disgust building in his gut, it took all his self-control not to growl or snarl at the clay pot. Hell would freeze over before he ever submitted to her.

"There is a matter we will be attending to tomorrow afternoon," Kikyo continued as she turned his gaze forward once more, "Now that you've been broken I do believe it's time to put you truly in your rightful place."

'Broken?' Inuyasha scoffed in his mind as his heart sunk further still and the word echoed in his skull. At first, he'd fought but anymore there seemed to be no point. It was true. She had broken him. Destroyed his spirit. His hopes. His dreams. If he didn't have the hope Kagome would find him. If he didn't remind himself that she was his reason for living…he would've given up and let himself wither away into nothing weeks ago. Still…even if Kagome did find him…his hope that one day they'd be something more than just friends was gone. Snuffed out before it even began. If he had known this was to be his fate, he would've done things differently. So much wasted time. What had he done in a past life to be forced to suffer so much in this one? He didn't even know if there was a way to change him back and let's be honest, who would ever want to share their bed with a dog? No one, that's who. Even someone as loving as Kagome.