ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE
Inuyasha groaned as the high-pitched beep of the timer alarm shrieked close to his ear. Keeping his eyes shut and yanking his pillow down so it covered the ears flattened close to his head, he thrust a clawed hand out, blindly patting around the cluttered bedside table until his fingers met with his phone so that he could shut off the god-awful racket.
He rolled onto his back, clutching the pillow close to his naked chest, squinting into the darkness of his room. He'd decided to have a nap after his shower before going to the dance at school, to delay the inevitable. He didn't really want to go, but the alternative was worse, because it was Friday. He hated Fridays, because not only did he have gym class with that asshole Kouga who baited him constantly with comments about hanyou being worth less than shit, but his half brother Sesshoumaru always came over for dinner. Being ignored at the school dance was infinitely better than sitting across from that cold-hearted prick for a couple of hours.
He scratched his stomach idly, wondering how his life could possibly get any worse. At least he wasn't living in the feudal era, where mistakes like hanyou were actively killed at birth by the demon parent of the union. Now that had been an awesome moment in history class – everyone turning to give pointed looks towards his ears and then looking away. It wasn't like he was the only hanyou in highschool, there were a few others, even though the majority of the population were pure demon. He'd learned the hard way to keep under the radar at school, to do just enough to get by without drawing the attention of the higher-level demons that could kill him without even breaking a sweat.
Sometimes he wondered why he even existed. He knew his parents loved each other, but their relationship was unusual, now that humans were so rarely seen. Most demons didn't care one way or another, now that the peace pacts had been signed, but the majority of human communities continued to live in hiding to escape the persistent demon religious fanatics that still believed they should be wiped off the face of the Earth, so they didn't dilute the purity of demon genetics. He hadn't met any humans apart from his mother, and even she had some latent demon DNA – it was hard to detect in her scent unless you concentrated, but it was definitely there. Purebred humans probably didn't even exist anymore. His father was very protective of his mother, and rightly so. Inuyasha couldn't bear the thought of her dying if one of those cultist nutters got their hands on her; either of them dying actually. He didn't have many friends, and life without them would be so lonely.
A weird sensation of wrongness made him feel uneasy for a moment, but he ignored it, grabbing the clothes he was going to wear to the dance out of his closet. He pulled the loose denim jeans on over his boxers, and shoved his arms through the sleeves of his plain red t-shirt, dragging his claws through his long snow-white hair to comb out any tangles, carefully avoiding the pointed dog ears that made him stand out so much at school. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look terrible. It wasn't like he was trying to impress anyone anyway, so what was the point?
He jogged down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, where his mother was frying batches of chicken in hot oil. She smiled over her shoulder at him, and then continued on with her task. He was suddenly filled with the overwhelming need to be close to her, as if he hadn't seen her in forever, instead of just an hour ago. He walked over and hugged her from behind, snickering at her surprised squeal and resting his chin on top of her head.
That sudden feeling of wrongness hit him in the gut again. When had his mother gotten so short? Hadn't she always been taller than him? But that didn't make sense, he was just over six-foot tall and human women didn't usually end up being taller than that, did they? He stepped away uncertainly, pushing the feeling down.
"Inuyasha! Don't scare me like that when I'm cooking with hot oil!" she scolded, shaking the tongs at him. "Are you sure you won't stay for dinner? I know you and your brother..."
"Half-brother", he corrected, and she rolled her eyes.
"Half-brother then, don't get on very well, but these dinners are important to your father. He likes seeing his sons together."
"Nope. I told you, I already had plans to go to the dance at school."
His mother fished the last of the chicken out of the oil with the tongs and placed it with the rest on a paper towel covered plate, turning off the heat and moving the pan to the back of the stove. She carried the plate heaped high with chicken over to the table which was already set for three as Inuyasha sniffed the chicken appreciatively, putting it down in the centre next to the salad, pickles and rice.
"Is there an important reason for your plans to ditch us then?" she said in a teasing tone. "Somebody you should bring back after the dance so your father and I can meet them?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Keh. Unlikely."
Something in his tone made her face move from a teasing smile to a look of empathy. "Oh, sweetheart, I know what it's like being someone that doesn't fit in."
She moved closer to him, choosing to ignore his effort to shrug it off. "One day, you're going to meet someone who sees you, not just the outside, but all of you", she said, tapping his chest gently. "Your father saw the real me, despite all those years of being taught that humans weren't any better than animals, only worthy of being kept alive to hunt for sport. It's getting better now than it was. Someday, you're going to meet someone that you'll be happy to make your whole world."
He wanted to cringe away, embarrassed by the emotional topic, but her last sentence made him pause, and then it was like a lightbulb popped in his head. "Is that why I've never met any of your family?"
She sighed. "Most of my family died in the cleansing riots. There was only my grandfather and a family friend left in our group, and they didn't… understand my relationship with your father. When you've been frightened your whole life, sometimes it's hard to see others clearly, rather than see the monsters you've been told they are."
Inuyasha bent down and gave her a sudden squeezy hug, lifting her off her feet a little. "I don't know what I'd do without you and Pops, you know that?" The idea of having to live without his family felt like a nightmare that he would never want to experience for real. He shuddered, feeling the sudden weight of loss within his chest as if it had actually occurred. What on earth was up with his feelings tonight? He felt like a stranger in his own home, a place he had always lived with parents who loved him. He had always been here.
His mother chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "I love you too Inuyasha. But if you're going to this dance, you should really be already out the door."
"Alright", he agreed, suddenly feeling uncertain about his plans to leave his home. He glanced out the window, frowning at how dark it was. It seemed much darker than it should be for this early in the evening. If he didn't know better, he would say it was past midnight. "The old man's gonna be home soon right? You're not gonna be here by yourself for long?"
His instincts were going haywire; he felt totally on edge, like he was somehow missing some unseen danger ever since he woke up from his nap, even though there was obviously nothing wrong. He'd lived in this house his whole life. It was a safe place; he knew that his father had been very careful when selecting where they would live, surrounded by neighbours who welcomed his human wife into their community.
His mother pushed him towards the back door. "Go on, I'll be fine. Your father called a few minutes ago and told me he was on his way home. Sesshoumaru should be here any minute." She grinned at the sudden annoyance on his face at the mention of his brother's name. "Maybe you should stay here after all; it looks like you'd really enjoy an evening in your brother's company."
"Fine, I'm leaving", he grunted, turning back to the table and stealing the largest piece of chicken to shove into his mouth, grinning as his mother swatted at him with the tea towel she had draped over her shoulder.
"Have you got your key? Your father said something about going out to get ice-cream when he dropped back Sesshoumaru. I might go with him for the drive, and I wouldn't want you to be locked out."
Inuyasha patted his pocket. "Yeah, I got it. You're gonna bring some home for me too, right?"
"I don't know", she teased, tapping her chin with her forefinger. "Have you been a good boy at school today?" She grinned at the scowl on his face. "Inuyasha, one day you're going to learn not to take the bait. It's so easy to tease you", she laughed. "I'll make sure we bring home a tub of honeycomb brittle for you too."
He took one last look at her smiling face as turned to walk out the back door. "I love you Ma."
"Love you too, pup", she said cheerfully, waving as he stepped out into the darkness, closing the door behind him.
Kagome ran through the playground, frantically looking for a hiding place in the darkness. Her lungs seared, her head ached, and her heart was pounding in her chest so loudly she was sure the demon chasing her would be able to hear it. Her worst fears were about to come true. All those warnings Gramps had given her about being out after dark and being taken by demons. She'd led such a sheltered life, didn't know much about the outside, didn't know how to fight, only how to run and she wasn't even doing that very well. If only Buyo hadn't run out of the shrine gates when she went to bring him inside for the night, she would be home now, tucked up safely in her bed, and not in the middle of this nightmare.
"Come out, come out wherever you are…" sang the demon in a playful tone. She knew it was only a matter of time. He was so fast, and she knew instinctively he was hunting her as a cat does a mouse, toying with her to draw out the game, enjoying her fear. She ducked down behind a low wall, cursing the fact she was wearing a bright yellow sundress that stood out in the darkness. She may as well have a neon sign over her head with an arrow that read 'victim here'. Her right hand bumped the rough bricks of the wall as she crouched down tightly and she almost whimpered. For some reason there was an agonising pain in her hand – it looked fine, but she couldn't even make a fist with it. Was it possible to break a bone without realising it? She put her other hand over her mouth, hoping it would block the loud sound of her ragged breathing.
"Boo!" said a voice above her, and he was there, grinning at her, his fangs glinting in the darkness, the long dark ponytail falling over his shoulder as he leaned over the low wall, his arm reaching out to grab her. She jumped to her feet and begun running again, only to pull up short when he leapt in front of her, landing lightly and gracefully, his leather boots making only a slight scuffing noise on the cement path. She backed away, frantically looking for a way to escape. She would never see her grandfather again. Never see her mother and father or little brother. And they'd never even know what happened to her.
"Aww, don't look so scared little girl", he crooned, following her staggering steps backwards with graceful movements. His fanged grin grew wider, his light blue eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. "I just wanna get to know you better. How about we go somewhere a little more private." She jolted to a stop as her shoulder collided with a tree behind her, almost falling, and the demon shot out a clawed hand, his fingers curling around her throat, sharp claws flexing against her soft skin. She forced herself to keep her eyes open as his face drew closer, sniffing the bare skin near her collarbone.
"Please, let me go", she said, doing her best to keep her voice firm, feeling her pulse hammer against the pressure of his hand around her throat. "I don't want to go anywhere with you. Leave me alone."
The demon chuckled, drawing in a long deep breath through his nose. "I've never met a human that smelt as… delectable as you", he purred slowly, his claws digging in further so that a small trickle of blood oozed its way down the side of her neck. She shuddered as he leaned forward to lick the blood away, his eyes widening in surprise. "I don't believe it! A pure human! I didn't think there were any of you left." He nuzzled his nose into her neck as she fought not to whimper. "You're delicious. What am I going to do with you, sweetness?"
"You're going to let her go Kouga", growled a voice behind them. The demon clutching her throat laughed, not even bothering to turn and look.
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, dog shit? It's not like a pitiful hanyou is any match for a pure-blooded demon like me. Go home and whine about it to your human mama."
"Let. Her. Go."
Kouga chuckled, turning his head only to be smacked in the jaw with Inuyasha's fist. Kagome shrieked as his claws dragged out of her neck, leaving deep scratches. She moved to the other side of the tree, her brain screaming at her to run, but her feet were reluctant. She wanted to stay. There was something about the voice of the other demon. She wanted to hear it again, even though everything that she'd ever been taught at the shrine was telling her she needed to get away from the demons who would only want to hurt her.
She peeked around the tree again, horrified by the brutality of the fight. The demons were pummelling each other, fists and claws tearing, fangs bared. The first demon was lighting fast with his kicks and punches, but there seemed to be something about the other demon. He was stubbornly standing his ground, dodging some hits and taking others, his long silvery hair shining in the darkness. He rocked back on his heels as he took a blow to the cheek, then he ducked under a flying fist and slammed a flurry of punches to the dark-haired demon's stomach, then followed it with a punch to his jaw, laying him out.
"Quick girl, he won't be out for long. We need to run!" The silver haired demon ran over to the tree and grabbed Kagome around the waist, swinging her around so that she landed on his back. "Hang on, I'm going to take you to my house. My mother is human, so she'll know what to do with you."
He took off at a run, sprinting through the darkness. Kagome clung on to his shoulder with the hand that didn't hurt, pressing her face in against his back. His strong hands hung on to her legs while he ran, keeping her close, keeping her safe. She felt safe. Why was he helping her? He was obviously a demon, although she'd never heard of a demon having dog ears before. There was something about being on his back which felt comforting, like she was flying. Almost like she was dreaming.
Inuyasha banged on the back door with his fist. "Ma! Open the door!" After a few moments not hearing a response, he scrabbled in his pocket for his key, feeling the girl's weight sliding against his back. "Hang on", he said, putting the key in his mouth and easing her down his back with both hands. Once she was on the ground safely, he took the key out of his mouth and turned it in the lock, glancing sideways at her. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better", sighed the girl, slumping against the wall next to the door. It was then that Inuyasha noticed the bloodied scratches around her neck.
"Shit! Just, hang on, I'll get us inside and then we can clean you up." He pushed open the door and shut it behind him, making sure to lock it before putting his arm around her shoulder to help her to the bathroom. He plonked her down onto the curved wooden bath stool, then rummaged in the cupboard for the first aid kit.
His heart was still beating frantically. He'd decided to leave the dance early, because leaning on a wall looking unconcerned about the fact that everyone was dancing with someone except for the half demon could only be borne for so long. He'd taken a short cut home, across the football fields and through the kids playground close to his street. He didn't usually walk that way, but something had told him to. As soon as he'd scented Kouga he'd nearly turned around and headed in the opposite direction, until he'd heard a girl's voice, smelt the fear pouring off her like water. And something about that scent had twisted his gut and compelled him to fight for her, even though he knew fighting Kouga was just asking for trouble. If he'd gong the other way, he had no doubt she wouldn't have been left in good shape. Kouga's family was old school when it came to humans – he would have had his fun and then left the mess for someone else to clean up. The thought of what could have been done to this girl made him want to vomit.
"What on earth were you doing outside when it was dark?" he snarled at her, as he ran a cloth under a tap and wrung it out, ready to clean the blood off her neck. "You know it's dangerous for humans! Kouga's just a regular fucking asshole, but there's demon cultists out there too!"
"I know", sighed the girl.
"You know, huh!", fumed Inuyasha. "So what were you doing, stupid girl! You're really lucky you know? Usually I wouldn't be out that late at night either, and then where would you have been?" He dabbed at her neck with the damp cloth, growling as he watched the white cloth turn red as the blood slowly stopped flowing from the claw marks around her neck. He was furious. Not exactly sure why he was furious at the girl, but he was. "Don't you value your life at all?"
"Hey", she snarled back, her human voice doing a pretty good imitation of an angry demon's and her brown eyes flashing angrily at him, looking dark against her pale face. "I'm grateful you saved me, but you don't have to be such a jerk about it, you know?" Something about the way she spoke made him pause momentarily, and he swallowed, feeling that weird pull on his instincts again. Although this time they weren't warning him of danger. The whole time he'd carried her on his back, he'd almost wanted to purr. The feel of her skin and the weight of her legs in his hands, the scent of her hair. There was something so familiar about it. Almost like he was dreaming. And it was a good dream, one he didn't want to wake up from.
Inuyasha harrumphed at her by way of an answer and finished wiping the scratches clean, pleased to see they'd stopped bleeding. He reached into the first aid kit for antiseptic paste and dabbed it on the scratches gently, being careful of his claws. She flinched for a moment at the chill of the cream as it stung her scratches, then held herself still until he'd finished. He reached into the first aid kit again, pondering what to use for a moment, then pulled out a gauze bandage.
"Have we met before?" he said slowly, winding the bandage gently around her neck. "I don't think we have but…"
Kagome looked at him uncertainly. "I don't think so", she said haltingly, "but there's something about your voice." She reached up to brush her finger against an already mostly healed bruise on his face. "And when you were carrying me on your back, it was like I'd been there before." Then she laughed. "But I'd definitely remember something like that, right?"
"Right", he nodded, trying to ignore the tug of his instincts. How could he forget someone as beautiful as this girl? He was sure he'd remember too. But still. He was sure he was missing something. He went to grab her hand to help her to her feet. She hissed in pain, pulling her hand back toward her chest.
"Fucking asshole", Inuyasha muttered, angry that he hadn't noticed her injury and feeling remorseful that he'd hurt her by touching it. "What else did he do to you? Can I see?" Kagome looked at him uncertainly.
"I don't… I don't know why my hand hurts. It just does."
Inuyasha held his hand out in front of her, palm up, and after a moment's hesitation, she placed her hand carefully in his. Her skin was soft and pale, much lighter than his naturally tanned skin. Something about the size of her hand in his tugged at a memory, but the more he tried to pin it down, the vaguer it got, until at last he gave up. He looked at her hand carefully. It looked perfectly fine. "I can't see anything, but…" he leaned closer, and caught the scent of blood on her fingers. "That's weird", he said.
"What's weird?"
"Your hand smells like it's been bleeding, and not just a little bit either." He ran his other hand over her fingers gently and she whimpered. He closed his eyes and sniffed again, and the smell was stronger. "It's almost like there's an injury there that's invisible. Did you do anything to hurt your hand today?"
"No, I don't think so." Her eyes squinted shut, and she muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"I just… remembered a dream. There was a baby crying, and I was looking for it." She gasped suddenly. "You were in it!"
He snorted. "I was in a dream with you and a crying human baby. Yeah, right." He watched in amusement as she scrunched her eyes up tight, wrinkling her little nose. His wench was adorable. What the fuck? How did an archaic word like wench get into his head? And anyway, she wasn't his wen… um, girl. He'd just met her!
"I was in a village", she said, staring off to the side at nothing as she tried to remember. "I had a bow and arrows, and I was walking, looking for the baby. I was so worried, because it sounded so tiny and lost."
"There wasn't any baby crying", he snorted. "I told you that, and you wouldn't… listen." The girl's eyes snapped back to his and they stared at each other. "What else do you remember about this dream, girl?" he said softly.
She swallowed nervously. "There was a basket, with an indigo cloth covering it. It was sitting in a clearing, and I ran over to it, and you said…"
"Kagome… don't touch that basket… I don't know what's in it, but it's not a human baby…"
"Inu…yasha? Is your name Inuyasha?"
He gulped and nodded. "Your hand." He cradled it gently in both of his. "The baby, that wasn't a baby. It bit your hand. I remember blood dripping… and… bones."
She gasped. "How could we have been sharing the same dream?"
Inuyasha growled. "This is fucking weird. Why does your hand hurt if it was a dream?"
Kagome looked at him, her eyes wide. "What… what if it's because that was real, and this is a dream?"
Inuyasha scooted back away from her, shaking his head, his heart suddenly beating double time. "No. Shut up. I live here. I live here with my parents."
Kagome looked at him with a hurt expression in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"Shut the fuck up", growled Inuyasha. There was a sharp pain in his head, as he began to see double. It felt like he existed in two places at once, but that was impossible. He backed into the tiled wall, sliding down until he sat on the floor. "This is my place, a place I share with my family. They love me. I have a father and a mother. I've always been here." He cradled his head in his hands, grunting at the stabbing pain in his head. That tension in his instincts pulled again, forcing him to pay attention, to really pay attention to the girl in front of him. He sniffed her scent deeply and then gasped, looking up at Kagome in recognition, his expression a mixture of love and grief.
"Inuyasha?" said Kagome gently. She moved over and sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder. She reached across and took her clawed hand in his, entwining their fingers, but saying nothing. Inuyasha gave a mirthless chuckle.
"Figures. I finally have a family, and it's because a random high-powered psycho zaps us into a fucking maze for fun and uses some sort of weird dream magic to scoop images out of my head and make me believe they're real." He slumped against her, his voice cracking a little. "My mother made chicken karaage for dinner and told me she loved me. She told me my father was driving home from work and was going to pick up ice-cream later, after Sesshomaru came over for a family dinner." His hands trembled and he closed his eyes, his throat thickening with emotion. "I want it to be real Kagome. I'd even take fucking Sesshomaru if I could have them too. I want them, Kagome. Does that make me crazy?"
"No", she said softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "It makes you the same person that I've grown to love." She smiled at him sadly. "My father was alive in this dream too. If you're crazy Inuyasha, then so am I."
He sighed and pulled her across into his lap. "Well, at least we can be crazy together huh?" He kissed her gently on the lips, and then tucked her head onto his chest, heaving out a heavy sigh. "I don't like the idea of Jareth poking around in my head. There are dreams in there with you in them that no-one else should see but me."
He grinned as Kagome slapped his shoulder, her cheeks pink. "I'm afraid not all of us can have innocent and pure dreams like you Ka-go-me", he teased. His eyes widened as her cheeks grew even redder and she squirmed in his lap. A sly grin crossed his face. "Care to share your thoughts, little miko?"
"No."
He grinned even wider. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours" he said in a wheedling tone.
Kagome poked him in his ribs, lowering her voice to a whisper. "What if Jareth's watching?"
Inuyasha snarled, his mood changing instantly. "Okay, looks like playtime's over then. How do we get out of here?"
She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. We know it's an illusion now. I would have thought that would have broken it." She reached across and pinched the arm cuddling her as hard as she could.
"Ow! What the fuck wench?" He pinched her back, but not quite as hard, and she sighed.
"Well, it was worth a try. Maybe there's something we have to do? Something we have to say?" She pondered for a little while but even as she thought she could feel her brain going fuzzy, as if she were falling asleep against her will. "Inuyasha?" she said in a slightly panicked voice.
He stroked her uninjured hand, entwining their fingers. "It's okay Kagome, I can feel it too. Looks like we're leaving". He pulled her close to him, feeling comforted by the sweet smell of the cherry blossom scented shampoo she always used on her hair. Usually it was a little overpowering, but it had faded enough so that it was just right. He felt sad that he hadn't gotten to see his mother one last time. But if Jareth had created her using his memories, that meant she was still there, safely tucked away in his thoughts, and that was a small comfort.
He had one last thought before he blacked out. "Hey Kagome, you owe me dessert. Next time we visit your time, you need to go buy me a tub of honeycomb brittle ice-cream."
