Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.

Safely Sleep

She sat up abruptly, sweating, shaking in horror, clapping a hand over her mouth to silence her whimpers. So dark! So alone! She was lost in unending night, forever alone, save for that taunting, malevolent voice:

Make a wish.

Make a wish.

I won't!

"Hey, sis—you okay!"

Kagome opened her eyes. In the dim light filtering through the curtains, she saw Souta peering through the open door. "You were crying out," he elaborated. "You kept saying 'no, I won't.'"

She forced herself to take a calming breath. "It was just a dream. I'm fine."

"Sounded like that nightmare again, to me," he said. "Should I call Mama?"

"No!" Her hands fisted in the blankets. "Just—just go back to bed, Souta. I'll be fine."

"You sure!"

"Yes! I can handle it! Just go back to sleep, Sota!"

"O-okay, sis."

The door closed, and Kagome flopped down onto her side, trying not to cry. How long were the nightmares going to last? It'd been weeks! All that time in ancient Japan, getting chased by monsters, getting possessed, getting clawed, getting bloody, eating fish and lizards, and never once had she had nightmares about it all. But that last event, stranded in the empty darkness…

Getting up, Kagome went to her desk and turned on the lamp. She stared at the closed laptop and her books. She could study. Or try to. But, she'd already completed all her assignments, and she'd be a wreck in the morning, if she stayed up very long.

If only Inuyasha were here! If only he could save her from the nightmares, as he'd saved her from that empty hell! If only she could drift to sleep, like all those times beside the crackling fire, feeling safe because she knew Inuyasha would never let anything harm her…

She thought of something.

... ... ...

Kagome curled up on her bed, light flickering from opened laptop's screen saver. A soft crackling poured gently from the computer's speakers, and she made herself smile, remembering. Golden eyes were watching her from above, promising safety. She needs fear nothing, not even her tests. She was safe … safe ...

She slept.


Author's Note: This drabble was written for the prompt "Nightmare", for the FirstTweak community on LiveJournal. The short (250 word) form was posted on October 31, 2010.