Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Zelda.

Simple Dreams

Chapter 6

firefox369

There was a soft 'swoosh' as Link released the arrow on his bow, hitting his target from quite a long ways away. The animal released a squeal of pain, racing off in the opposite direction Link was located. Dismayed, the Hylian male made chase.

Pant. Pant.

Kagome easilly caught up to him and tore the bow from his grip, stealing an arrow from his quiver. The alarmed boy jerked to a stop, allowing the girl to race past him with uncanny speed. She aimed, pulling the arrow back when she skidded to a halt, a cloud of dust rising in her wake.

Thunk!

The arrow hit the prey in a lethal spot, ensuring it a peaceful passing to the other world. It made no sound other than a slight grunt as it dropped to the ground. The life had left its body before it even made contact with the packed earth. Meanwhile, Link jogged over to the panting female, watching as she regulated her breathing. Glancing a few feet away, he saw that the hunt, a small rabbit, was safely in their grasp.

"I didn't know you were good at archery" he stated when he made his way through the grass to pick up its prone form.

"I didn't know I was, either" she replied before gazing up into Link's azure orbs. But she heard and saw, even if Link hadn't. She could hear the rabbit's cries for help and its screams of pain as it leapt away, and she knew that it would not longer be able to survive on its own. That was when she stole Link's bow and fired, shooting for the sake of easing it misery. Her aim was off, Kagome knew, and she saw the wind guide the arrow to its place embedded in the rabbit's head.

"You're really good with one, I'm not going to lie."

"Thank you" she whispered, but the compliment tore at her insides. It had been a while since she had been complimented, yet the praise rang like a death toll in her ears. The weapon dangled uncomfortably in her hand. It wasn't as awkward as when she held his sword, but she did not feel like like it belonged in her hand, as if it were meant to be there. The entire thing just felt wrong. Kagome was not a killer, and she did not want to be. Link misinterpreted the gaze in her eyes and a slight smile curved his lips upwards. Slinging the quiver off his back, he held it out to the girl. Kagome gazed at them, confused for a few moments before she took a step back.

"No, no, I can't take them from you" she stated hurriedly, holding the bow out and expecting him to take it back. He didn't. Instead, he gently tossed the quiver at her. She caught it, the arrows clattering in her ears, and blinked owlishly.

"Keep them. I'm sure you'll put them to better use than me."

"But I've never even touched a bow before!" she argued, urging him to take the weapon back, and once again he refused.

"Keep it. I've still got my trusty sword" Link informed, patting the sheathed object strapped to his back, the leather binding crossing his emerald-clothed chest. "Besides, this way you have a way to protect yourself. We've been together for a few days already, and once we get out of these deserts there are going to be larger things than scorpions and snakes running around. I trust you not aim that thing at me, and you need it."

Kagome sighed, grudgingly swinging the bow and arrows around her shoulder. The weight was something she was uncaccustomed to, but the knowledge that she actually had a means with which to fend off danger until help arrived made the slight burden tolerable. And with that, the two made their way back to camp, Kagome's worn, black cloak fluttering behind her.

When darkness fell and the waxing quarter moon rose into the sky, Link released a sigh of content and flopped on his back, the sword and shield in a pile at his side, and stared at the stars. A warm breeze carressed the grass, making the long stalks sway in large waves. They bowed in the wind, occasionally lowering so far that they tickled Kagome's nose from her seat on the dirt a few feet away from the Hylian. This schedule had become the norm for her. They woke up early and traveled all day with frequent breaks, stopping and making camp only when the sun began to dip near the horizon. The last few days had gone by slowly and uneventfully, and the calm and quiet made Kagome unusally comfortable and sociable. Without her Master breathing down her neck and the pain of disobeying him constantly on her mind, she found herself slowly opening up to the Choesen Hero.

A wolf's howl echoed in the distance, the mournful cry rising, then falling. The next time the howl came, it was accompanied by more and more, until the chorus ended a few moments later.

"What business did you have in the twilight realm?" Link questioned, breaking the calm silence between the two of them, and the human girl smiled sorrowfully.

"Him" was the simple response.

"The guy with the mask? Nial you called him?"

Silence.

"I'm right, aren't I? What does he want with you?"

"Everything" she whispered wistfully, recalling the times when the man had been kind to her. She hugged her knees and drew small circles in the dirt with the tip of her pointer finger. And I would have given everything if only to be with him back then...

Link hummed, not exactly sure of what to say to her statement. Glancing at her quickly, the slight, nostalgic smile on her face did not go unnoticed. Apparently the man hadn't been a complete jerk to her before, but that didn't lessen the amount of dislike he had for the guy. He still despised him with a passion.

"You like him."

Kagome's wistful smile turned bitter. "Once upon a time." With a swipe of her hand, a cloud of dirt flew into the air and the circles she had drawn disappeared along with it. "He was charming for a while, but I don't know what happened to him. One day, he just...changed."

"Change happens."

"He was the only one that protected me against the onslaught of boars and ogres and imps running around, the reason why I wasn't thrown in the dungeons the moment I was brought into the twilight realm."

Link hummed again. He hadn't had any experiences quite like that, but he had been thrown into the dungeons there quite a few times, and he wasn't fond of the living conditions one bit. Hay was not exactly the most comfortable thing to sleep on. It was itchy, and scratchy, and it smelled wierd. Not to mention, it could be infested with something.

"How long were you in the dungeons?"

"Six years."

The boy winced. Ouch. That must have sucked.

Epona snorted softly and lowered her head, preparing to go to sleep, which reminded the two of what time it was. With a grunt, Link sat up, not taking his eyes off the stars.

"I'll stand watch. You get some sleep."

Kagome shook her head. "You barely got any sleep last night. Let me do it today."

"No. I'm not tired."

"Link, go to sleep. I'll wake you up in a few hours so I can get some rest too."

The sound of his name falling from his lips still felt like a major feat and made his pride swell with victory even days after she stopped calling him "Lord."

"You promise you'll wake me up?" he asked, not quite sure whether or not to believe her. She nodded.

"I promise."

Link sighed, falling back onto his back with an 'oomph.'

"Just try not to get yourself killed, okay? Put those arrows to use if you need to" he mused. A soft chuckle, and his eyes shut in an attempt to fall asleep. It didn't take long before he grew successful, dreaming almost immediately after those tired eyes closed. The young woman smiled knowingly. No matter what he said, she knew that he was fatigued and needed his rest. After all, Kagome couldn't protect them from a barrage of monsters or animals at the same time and they both knew that. Now that she had a weapon, one that she could use, she could fend off whatever came her way long enough for Link to wake up and step in.

Her sapphire eyes drifted over his body, seeing his blonde hair, his relaxed face, the Adam's apple at his neck, and they moved downward to gaze at his clothed chest, to his slim waist before drifting back up to stare at the pale, but healthy skin, at his cheeks. The longer she looked at the hero, the more she was reminded of him. Of her fiance. She compared their eyes, their hair, their personalities, everything, and felt guilty soon after.

She despised herself for comparing the two of them.

Snap!

Kagome hopped to her feet and pulled the bow off her shoulder. Before she could grab an arrow, though, one hand gripped her wrist while the other covered her mouth. Muffled pants broke the silence, followed by a harsh whisper.

"You will cease this nonsense before your bodyguard wakes and I am forced to kill him."

Kagome calmed immediately, recognizing the voice behind her. Her muscles began to relax one by one, but remained fairly tense. The hand drifted away from her mouth and the grip on her wrist loosened.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, not turning around to face her masked suitor. She didn't have to.

"Is it wrong of me to want to come and see my love?" he teased, but the tone was somewhat cold, biting, warning.

"Do you intend to do this often?"

"Of course. I can't have him stealing you from right under my nose, now, can I?" His hot breath tickled her ear and she shut her eyes, knowing that resisting would be futile. A soft kiss against the nape of her neck, and she opened her eyes. Her head rose to gaze blankly at the stars, courtesy of a hand that had nudged her chin up and to the side.

"Why do you do this to me?" she asked sadly and she felt him smile against her neck.

"Because, love, isn't this what you wanted?" he chuckled quietly and a stray tear fell from Kagome's glazed, sapphire eyes. "Don't cry, love" he laughed, wiping the droplet off her face with his thumb.

"Please stop" she pleaded and the man pushed aside the the cloth covering her shoulder, revealing the ugly mark he made.

"Why should I?" he mused, kissing the scar, and his reddened eyes told her exactly what he was thinking. You are mine.

Kagome's fingers twitched with the need to fight back, and she felt her hand brush against the quiver of arrows. After the last few days she'd spent with Link, the urge to fight back was even stronger than before. She had finally sampled a taste of freedom, and she was not about to give any of it up. With a rush of courage she wasn't even aware she could muster, she grabbed and arrow from the quiver and stabbed it into Nial's shoulder. He cried out in pain and surprise, rearing back from her and releasing his hold on her body to tear out the arrow in his flesh. Kagome took this chance to scramble out from under him and grab another arrow. She saw Link shoot to his feet out of the corner of her eye, grabbing his shield and tearing the sword from its sheathe.

No good. His eyes were still slightly dazed and hazy from sleep. She would have to fight off her Master for a few more moments.

Nial chucked the bloody arrow to the ground at his feet with a snarl.

"That wasn't very nice of you" he hissed, and Kagome could practically see the way his face contorted with anger beneath his mask. He lunged at her, knocking her to the ground before she could raise the arrow in self defense. Nial easily snapped the projectile with a hard smack of his hand and backhanded Kagome's face even harder. Kagome bit her tongue to keep from crying out loud and giving him the pleasure of hearing her screams. His crushing weight on her chest was suddenly gone, and through her blurry vision Kagome saw Link throw Nial off of her.

"And here comes the Hero of Time to save the supposed Damsel in Distress" Nial chuckled, getting to his feet and summoning his own sword from the very air. Link lowered his center of mass, preparing for the fight, but did not step away from his place in front of Kagome. He raised his shield and readjusted his grip on the Master Sword.

"I don't think 'supposed' should be in that sentence" he replied through clenched teeth.

Nial cackled. "Of course you would think that."

The masked man charged forward and Link followed, meeting him halfway and blocking his blow with his shield. Link thrust with his sword, but Nial easily dodged it with a hop back. The blades of their swords clashed again, shooting golden sparks into the night, before Link raised his left arm and bashed the other man with his shield. Nial stumbled back, the very air knocked out of him, and Link slashed again. This time Nial could barely dodge it, and could only escape with a large gash to his arm. With both of his arms wounded now, he had no choice but to fall back. A soft 'swish', and he was gone, but not before giving them a foreboding promise of revenge.

Steadily, Kagome's tears increased in number, head lowered and covered by her hands. Her shoulders shook, her face contorted in sadness and the force of her stifled sobs, the hot crystals rolling down her tear-stained cheeks. Her heart squeezed in pain, she couldn't breathe... How had this happened to her? How had her life become so completely terrible? What had she done to anger the goddesses? Link could have been hurt because of her, and Nial was furious and wounded. Her future was looking bleak.

Link rushed to her side and embraced her, careful of her injured cheek, and lowered her hands so he could lead her teary eyes to his shoulder.

"Shhh" he soothed. "Shhhhh, its okay. Its over now. He's gone."

A gentle, warm breeze once again wrapped around her, just like every other time after he visited. It hugged her, soothed her, wiped away her tears, and cleared her heart of all the pain. It urged her head up, as if asking her to hold her head up high and stay strong, giving her the courage she needed to continue on, giving her the strength she needed to stand tall and fight for what she believed was right... and just like all the other times, it never failed to whisper names into her ears, names that would make her happy, names that gave her joy, pride, tranquility...

Link it called quietly to her, reminding her of the one that she could now lean on for support if needed, Link...

She buried her face into his green clad shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, clenching the back of his tunic as if she would fall apart if she let go. Finally, she stopped holding back her sobs and she wailed into the night. In response, Link held her even closer, combed his gloved fingers through her hair, and pressed his cheek against her head. He completely engulfed her with his larger, more masculine frame, and Kagome took as much comfort in it as she dared.

"I'm here now. Everything's going to be alright" he whispered into her ear, and with the battle he just fought and his easy victory, Kagome believed him.

"You're safe now."