______________Chapter 11_____________
Kagome's bedroom.
Inu Yasha woke first, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He blinked sleepily, and tried to remember where he was. Kagome snuggled closer to him and Inu Yasha jumped. How the hell did he get in Kagome's bed? Why the hell was he in Kagome's bed? The hanyou stretched, panic seizing him when he realized he was in nothing but his underwear. He froze. "Oh, my God."
The hanyou scrambled out of the bed, avoiding Kagome and having her wake. She'll sit me so good! He thought as he tried to remember what had happened to his clothes. How long had he slept? What day was it? Obviously he had passed his night as human and survived it- as if he'd die from a cold. Inu Yasha snorted at the thought in disgust, picking up an old scent of himself. He followed it cautiously, stopping at a chest in a large bedroom. He opened it and pulled out his neatly folded yukata and his sword Tetsusagia. Inu Yasha pulled them on; finally ready to face the world.
He closed the chest and went back to Kagome's room. He pulled the displaced comforter up and watched Kagome curled up in a ball. Inu Yasha had the strangest feeling he had been having a good dream; a very good dream that was important. Something about a promise… and other things. The more he tried to remember it, the more it eluded him. With a muffled sob, Kagome rolled over, facing Inu Yasha. The hanyou shook his head, coming back to reality and looked at Kagome. He started, surprised as he looked at the sleeping girls face.
The hanyou watched as a tear fell from Kagome's eye. Her entire face looked sad, as if something precious had been lost. Her arm flung back toward the wall, the motion causing the neck of her sweatshirt to open and expose Kagome's upper chest; right where her shoulders and neck met. A Band Aid was askew, hanging by one side and exposing what it covered. Inu Yasha gasped, in fear and shock, as he saw the mark on her skin. The dried blood was brilliant against her pale skin, the red seeming to bleach the white.
Inu Yasha's jaw dropped and could only stare. I hurt her; that's why she's crying. Another thought struck him and the hanyou went cold inside. If I did that, what else did I do? All sorts of horrible possibilities were danced in his head; most of the ruled out by the sheer fact that Kagome was still alive and breathing. Kagome moved her hand closest to him, the fingers brushing his clothing. Inu Yasha jumped back as if her touch had burned. He backed away from the bed, shaking violently, eyes wide with fear. He drew a shaky breath, hearing the door downstairs open and fled through the window for the well house.
The lines between reality and dream became more defined and I my candle light bedroom became my normal bedroom. Fragments of my dream with Inu Yasha and the whole dream mesh experience fluttered in my memory and I snatched at them greedily, trying to keep them fresh and more than just a fantasy. The image of Inu Yasha thrusting into me flared in my mind and I drank in every embarrassing detail. That at least stayed with me though it, like the others, became dim and unreal the more I thought about it. Finally my eyes opened and I was back in reality.
Inu Yasha was not with me and that depressed me more than anything. The light was fading outside, the light of sunset peering through my window. I sighed and went for a proper shower. I changed, again, and went downstairs to get dinner. My mother already had soup waiting for me. I smiled my thanks and settled on the couch to eat and study. Neither of us brought up Inu Yasha's absence.
The hanyou did not appear and I did not go looking for him. I studied all through the night in my room, too restless for sleep, too drained for exercise. I showered again and dressed for school when my alarm went off. I had a pop quiz in math class and, remarkably, I remembered everything I had studied. When the teacher congratulated me on my one hundred I pinched myself to make sure it was real. The rest of the day was uneventful and dull, but that was okay.
Hojo walked home with me- much to my annoyance. I noticed for the first time the jealous glares of other female students as we left the school yard. Great; another problem to deal with. The walk was boring and seemed longer with Hojo in tow. At the bottom of the shrine steps we said goodbye, the boy looking like he wanted to ask me something. I coughed and excused myself as best I could. "Still a little under the weather, you know. Back to bed for me." And I ran up the steps, as fast as was polite.
I had dinner with my family, the energy that had driven me onward yesterday through today evaporating slowly. Inu Yasha should have been here to demand me back to go shard hunting but he hadn't shown up. I wasn't worried- somehow I knew he was fine and that everyone was safe. I didn't know how I knew; I just did and for tonight that was enough for me. I'd hop through the well tomorrow morning and we'd have the whole day to hike and hunt on our journey for the Shikon shards.
My heart was extremely heavy when I went to bed that night. Though I had tried, I couldn't remember what I had dreamt about while I was sick. If I gave it a passing thought, I could remember a candle lit image of Inu Yasha but that was it and the picture was only there for an instant before disappearing again. It made me depressed that I couldn't remember the dream but I didn't know why.
That night when I dreamt, I was sitting in the flower field that I had first met Taomaru in. Asleep, I could remember everything; perhaps dreams could only be remembered in other dreams.
"To dream the dreams of night in the light of day, is to banish them by the very rays that light your way." A familiar voice said. "Sunlight chases those dreams away and makes it harder to recapture them when you sleep." The dark haired youkai walked into view and sat beside me. He was dressed this time; long formal dress robes that fit him nicely.
"That's very insightful." I said quietly, looking out at the sea of color.
"I have my moments." He said and I laughed softly. He put an arm around my shoulders and laid his head against mine for a moment. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked softly and pulled his head back.
"No," I sighed sadly. "No, I don't want to talk about any of it."
"Ah," he said and stood. "Come then, fair maiden, let me show you a place to rid your self of woes." He held out his hand to me and tentatively I took it. He pulled me to my feet, pulling my forward into the field. As we walked the scenery changed, from brightly colored flowers gradually into hard stone floor. I looked around us, the field a distant memory in the huge ball room.
Marble stone in a lovely floral pattern decorated the center of the dance floor. Roses and daisies, lavender and daffodils swirled in an intricate pattern. Candlelight flickered off the designs, drawing my eyes upward to see the rich color contrasts of the dark and light woods of the walls. The inlay there was more abstract but it also continued the flower and vine designs I saw on the floor. A massive door was the only way in and out of the room aside from the alternating stained glass windows that highlighted the already present colors on the walls and floor.
I gasped. "It's so pretty." Taomaru chuckled, and spun me in a light turn. As I completed the circle my clothes changed, from my pajamas to a light pink ball gown. I ran my hands over the silk and satin, smiling at Taomaru who now sported an outfit similar to a tuxedo. His tail swished idly behind him, a top hat askew on his head and white gloves covering his hands. "My lady," He bowed deeply. "May I have this dance?"
I laughed, feeling better, and played my part. "But good sir," I smiled. "There is no song for us to dance to." He stood and scratched his chin.
"It has been a long while since I have heard any songs outside my memory. Lovely lady, please pick us a song that matches our moods."
I thought about that one for a second, reviewing all the songs I had heard recently. For some reason, I could only think of the end theme from Maho Tsukai Tai! As the thought formed, an invisible band struck up the tune, the sad notes wafting over the dance floor. Taomaru grinned at me and led me to the floor to dance over the stone flowers.
If you close your eyes, what do you see?
…your gentle smile.
Taomaru and I stepped into a slow waltz, the words of the song surrounding us like a comfort blanket. We proceeded slowly, as if we had all the time in the world. In a way, I guess we did. No one would bother us here unless an emergency arose.
If you take a good listen, what do you hear?
…a whisper in a dream.
The youkai smiled at me, a smile that was part mirth and part sadness.
…a love that will come true one day.
I flashed on Inu Yasha, in the exact moment he and I had both climaxed. Eyes filled with love, tender lips kissing mine. Holding each other in a close embrace while our bodies quieted.
…a single wishing star…
If I look down…
…my tears will fall.
And this was where I began to cry; soft little sobs that could barely be heard over the music.
Gotta keep running tomorrow too…
Taomaru didn't say a word; he simply held me close and let me cry, his tail wrapping around my waist. Both of us knew it was doubtful that Inu Yasha would remember anything from the entire escapade.
Chin resting on my hands…
I hum a sad sweet melody.
I hugged the youkai close for comfort, trying to distance myself from the sadness that threatened at my feet. I joined my voice to the ghostly one that sang the song I had picked, the words rolling off my tongue as if they had been waiting for my voice. Taomaru held me through it all, swaying us softly in turns and lines.
A playful nighttime breeze…
…gently flows though my freshly washed hair.
Today I spoke a few words to you.
And I thought about when Inu Yasha had been the lustful, love pledging hanyou that he kept locked inside.
My heart sped up, just a bit.
I quietly close my diary…
…to dream…
Good night to you.
Inu Yasha… I thought. Stupid idiot. And of course that only made more quiet tears fall.
Close my eyes.
See you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow, Inu Yasha. I thought and leaned against Taomaru sadly, dancing in the strange ball room