I can't believe that it's been about a week! 0.o;
Update: SHE'S NOT DEAD?! WHAT THE…GRRR!!!!! WHY WONT SHE DIIIEEEEE??????!!!!!! *cries*
Update2: Okay, so maybe she's dead. It's perfectly set up so they can say, "Oh look, she's not dead after all! Sucks for you!", but maybe she is. I don't know, but hopefully she is. Sorry Kikyo lovers, but I'd prefer to have the love rival out of the way.^_~ *giggles* Though I'm sure that you'd see Kagome as the love rival; am I right?
Thanks so much to everyone who answered my question at the bottom.^-^ *huggles* Thank you!!! And speaking of that, this is a long chapter.^-^ *giggles* Only a few pages longer, but it took a hell of a lot of time to write! ^-^
Oh, and who can place a number on the episode I got part of this from? I'm curious to know.^-^ And if you want to know, just ask.^_~ *giggles*
Okay, so we have officially entered the blue phase! What's the blue phase? Friendship to more. Yay! And you know what that means? Fluff, fluff, fluff galore! *giggles* Okay, enough with the rhyming, but seriously, to all of you who are joining me and to those who have stuck with me, thank you! You're going to get not only the fluff you've been waiting for, but some actual plot points as well! *mock gasps* It's true, this story does have a plot! Lol anyway, just thought you'd all like to know. Good stuffs to come! ^_^
Goku's Daughter- That forward you sent me was actually pretty cool.^-^ *giggles* Mind of I post it in my LJ?
AssassinReiX- ^-^ Thanks!
Random()- Lol You always manage to make me smile don't you?^_~ Well, I know what you mean. When I was about 3, an ostrich chased down our car, stuck its head through my window, and bit me on the ear. 0.o; I'm glad you're happy with the longer story (chapter amount).^-^ Some people might not like the idea. And I haven't seen the episode either. I'm waiting for it to be fan subbed, but I saw it in the end of another episode, you know, where they show the preview of the next one. I'm so excited!^-^ Have fun at the con!
lilacks- Lol he was just grumpy.^_~ *giggles* And no worries, the fluff is to come. I know it's been a long wait, but we're entering the main fluff color section now, so it shouldn't be too much longer. ^_^
GRiM_BoB- Thanks.^_^ I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Lady Anime4- Lol, thanks.^_^ Hmmm… I wonder if you'll ever actually see this... ^_^ *giggles*
anime-craziegurl16- Lol sure, I'll notify you.^-^ That's not a problem. Mini-giant eh? Well, as long as they aren't normal. Lol Do they eat cheese? Pleeaaseee tell me they eat cheese! Oh, that rhymes!^-^ yay! Anyway, glad you like the story and I'll update as quickly as possible, but that doesn't say a whole lot.^_^; lol Thanks for the review, and I hope to see you around!^-^
inu/kagome4ever- Awww, I'm glad you like the story so much!^-^ I know, I hate to keep you guys waiting, but sometimes I have to, and unfortunately that sometimes seems to be a lot lately.~_~; Starting last chapter they've entered the "becoming friends to more" blue phase. There will be much fluff and a lot of fun, including parts of the actual plot! Yay! ^-^ *giggles* It'll be quite a few chapters until they get together, but if you hang in there, you'll see it.^-^ Hope you don't mind angst though, because the end is going to be chalk full of it.^_^;
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters in it. If I did I'd be rich, but I'm not... and if I had lots of money I'd probably spend it on anime anyway so pleeaasseee, don't sue me.^_^ lol
Oh, and as always,
_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Recap:
"Okay then, have fun you two." Both teens cringed automatically, tensing slightly and looking towards one another, hoping to find a denial that they may have been found out, and yet neither finding one. Okay, so, the fact was, they were probably caught, but that was just all the more reason for them to hightail it out of there. Of course, there was still one more problem; even as the others began their previous conversation once more, Inu and Kagome sat, unmoving, simply listening to the muffled voices through the wall to their left. They were free; they could go, and they were... sitting. Why?
"You get out first."
"Keh."
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Do the Math
Chapter 25: What Dreams May Come
There was lighting, there was thunder, and there was... an accident?
It hadn't been long after the two had gotten over their modesty and exited the tub that they had managed to reach Inu Yasha's car, despite the horrific weather. The rain was falling so hard and in such large amounts that it looked as if it were a steady stream rather than the droplets it was truly made up of. Nevertheless, Inu Yasha and Kagome hit the not-so-open road, heading towards the Higurashi's shrine with both tension and a sense of dread in the air, making the trip seem much longer than it probably would have otherwise. In the distance, police sirens could be heard, the shrill cries droning on and on, alerting all to the dangers that presently faced them, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Accidents, thunder, lightning, the conditions were perfect, if you liked horror movies that was, and one could only hope that things could only get better.
It was a night like no other, and two teenagers in particular were about to find that out, the hard way.
Both breathed a sight of relief as the shrine came into view. The feeling of dread still lay heavily within their stomachs, but they were so close to home that they simply brushed it off as paranoia, due to the horrid weather of course. Really, who didn't feel that much safer at home? It was here that they parted ways, Kagome walking the enormous flight of stairs that lead to the shrine, and Inu Yasha dodging mud puddles, hurrying towards his front door, wanting nothing more than to be warm and dry.
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Okay, sure, getting out of relaxing, hot water and into a heated car was one thing, but then entering still more water, cold water no less, was quite another. Why hadn't she thought to bring a jacket? Groaning softly and rubbing her arms in a feeble attempt to increase the circulation there, Kagome trudged up the front steps, ascending them as would a salmon up a waterfall, tired, mechanic, and most of all, soaked. Inu Yasha was probably in his house just about then, eating ramen and what not, while she was forced to drag herself through the rain and cold. He was so lucky. What she wouldn't give to be warm, dry, and most importantly, comfortable right about then, but that would have to wait at least another couple of minutes. Maybe she could find temporary shelter once she reached the top of the steps; maybe she'd go to the well house first, and then make a b-line for the house from there. Flicking a clump of water-logged hair away from her eyes, Kagome was suddenly surprised by the lack of impressions being forced upon her skin; small as they were, the rain drops were still quite noticeable, and yet even more so was the soft, feather-like feeling of warmth and security that was quickly being wrapped around her shoulders.
No, she dared not look. Kagome's heart beat that much faster as her pulse quickened, less from the rubbing on her arms more so than the knowledge of who must've approached her. It would either be a stranger, or Inu Yasha, considering that her parents probably wouldn't have left so soon. Besides, she would've heard them pull up had it been one of them... right? It could've been Souta, but he couldn't reach that high so easily. All things considered, Kagome could only hope that, in this case at least, it was a stranger; running from a person would be a lot easier than running from her, already racing, heart. Swallowing the small lump in her throat, Kagome sent a quick glance to her shoulders, immediately noticing the sheen from, what she assumed to be, very wet, shiny, obsidian fabric, the kind found in a coat that she had seen many a time before, yet her gaze stopping upon something much more definite than a simple article of clothing. A hand, slightly larger then her own, with fingernails that flashed in between human nails and claws awaited her, resting for but a moment as the fingers flexed around the fabric she was now holding. Wait, flashing? Her attention was drawn forward as the hand moved away from her, the sound of rain hitting the cloth of, what was undoubtedly an umbrella, finally registering in her mind, as Inu Yasha's form appeared before her, scowl ever present upon his features, yet barely visible in the severe lack of lighting.
Even with the rain out of the way for the moment, it was still hard for Kagome to make out her own hand in front of her, much less his, and, though her vision had improved some what, the realization that two golden eyes were watching her still came off as a shock, somewhat creepy at first, in a Cheshire Cat sort of way. Still, the knowledge that he was there was comforting, and she wasn't about to lose that comfort so easily. Smiling up at him, something that surprised the boy at first, Kagome nodded and secured her hold on the coat he had given her. Placing it fully around her, she walked until she stood directly beside him before turning her head and staring him straight in the eyes.
"Thank you, Inu Yasha. I don't know how you can see out here, but if you can, could you walk me to my door? I know it's silly, but I'm having a little trouble, and I know this place like the back of my hand." Watching her for but a moment, Inu Yasha turned to face the top of the steps and, eyes slightly narrowed, nodded, thanking the darkness for hiding the slight blush that had once again made its presence known. As far as Inu Yasha was concerned, it was too persistent for its own good, and he intended to cut it down to size as quickly as humanly possible.
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"There aren't any batteries left." Sighing softly, Kagome turned to look towards her companion for the night, noting the slightly irritated grunt that passed his lips with only the briefest of concern.
By the time they had reached the front door, both had realized that sitting around while they waited for their parents would have proven to be a rather boring, and rather monotonous task, and if Inu Yasha went home, sure they would've escaped, but to where, an empty house? Of course, they could have always read a book or something, but though they wouldn't admit it, human company was much nicer, and they much preferred the company they were in to any other. This had been why Kagome had decided to invite Inu Yasha into her home. He had been nice enough to lend her his jacket and let her stand under the umbrella with him; it was only fair that she offer him something in return. Surprisingly enough, both to her and himself, he had accepted the offer, but it seemed that the stay wouldn't be without its troubles.
At first they had been listening to the radio as sheets upon sheets of rain poured on the roof overhead. The roads were blocked, meaning that their parents couldn't get home, the thunder and lightning were getting closer, and it seemed only natural that the next step in this series of unfortunate events, would be that the power had died, leaving them, once more, unto the will of the darkness they had first entered. To make things even worse, their search for batteries had been a failure, leaving them with a lack of games and light, made even more unbearable by the abundant scarcity of oil or propane to light the lanterns. It seemed that the only things left to do were to light candles and, to appease the stomach, make ramen. They had a gas stove, and could therefore heat water, and had plenty of ramen about to accomplish the task, so there was no reason to worry as far as food was concerned. Besides, she knew from past experience that Inu Yasha would eat little else. Why did you think she had the ramen in the first place?
Over the course of the next three hours, Kagome and Inu Yasha entertained themselves by playing board games and having a competitive tea drinking competition. Basically, they downed tea until they thought they had drowned, something that caused a little problem at the bathroom not too long afterwards. Inu Yasha's next task consisted of lifting Buyo up by his paws and making him dance while Kagome watched. She sympathized for her obese cat, she really did, but she was bored and it was too entertaining to pass up. It wasn't until Inu Yasha became bored again, and thus began looking for other things to occupy his time, that he noticed the how flushed Kagome's face had gotten, even if just in a few short, or rather long, hours. She looked tired, and considering that it was probably past midnight, he didn't blame her, but something still looked awry. Though they had laughed it off as being a side effect of their earlier competition, Kagome had complained, not but an hour ago, that her stomach had hurt, and now he wasn't so sure that the tea was the cause. Putting Buyo back on the ground, Inu released his fuzzy paws and allowed the cat to scamper away, finally gaining freedom from the oppressive dance of doom, and quickly trotting into a room with more comfortable surroundings, i.e. a bed. As Kagome watched on with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and drowsiness, Inu Yasha leaned over, holding her shoulder so that she couldn't back away, and placed his hand firmly on her forehead, deriving a short gasp from the startled girl before him.
Kagome's eyes widened. They were so close, almost nose to nose, and, if she didn't know better, she would've thought that he was checking her temperature. She laughed softly to herself. Yeah, like that would happen. Sure, he may care somewhat, but Inu Yasha being that sweet? Yeah, he had his moments, but he had just used up his last one earlier that night. The next wasn't due for at least a week, not like it was a scheduled thing, but it aught to have been, the way he went about it. Besides, she wasn't sick, just a little tired was all, and he was her guest. She refused to sleep and leave him awake, and considering that he didn't look even the slightest bit tired, she figured that she probably had a long night ahead of her. Leaning away from her once more, and sitting back on his haunches, Inu Yasha looked Kagome over carefully, watching as her expression changed with every thought, before deciding to snap her out of her apparent musings.
"You're sick." Well, that was blunt, but hey, he had never been known to be Mr. Eloquent, now had he? Blinking awake from her reverie, Kagome looked at him, pausing for a few moments while what he had said registered in her mind, and then shook her head sleepily.
"I'm not sick." A small sneeze accentuated the end of her sentence, causing Inu Yasha to sigh softly.
"You're catching a cold." She simply shook her head and smiled.
"No, someone's gossiping about me." Inu's eyes narrowed slightly as obsidian eyebrows raised, not in annoyance or irritation so much as in a slight case of exasperation at the stubbornness of the girl in front of him. She was almost as bad as he was.
"Idiot, no one would gossip about you." Laughing softly, Kagome allowed her eyes to droop slightly.
"Then you don't know my other friends very well."
"Feh, it doesn't matter; you need to get to bed." Raising himself on one knee, Inu Yasha moved to help Kagome to her feet, but once he realized that she wasn't going anywhere on her own, Inu bent down, looping one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, intent on carrying her where she needed to go without resorting to the "sack of potatoes" hold, even if it meant carrying her in a slightly more intimate way. With only a little complaining on Kagome's part, he was successfully able to get her to her room and into bed within a matter of minutes, though she was still in her day clothes, and told her to stay put. Walking down the hall, he returned a moment later with a small bowl and a washcloth, which he then soaked and laid across her forehead. "Go to sleep Kagome."
"But..."
"No 'but's, you need your rest." Lulled to sleep by both a warmth in her head and in her heart, Kagome nodded softly, resigning slightly, and allowing the all-too-recent feeling of protection to wash over her, and send her lightly into slumber. It wouldn't be long until she drifted into a deeper sleep, and in the meantime, Inu Yasha settled for watching her, gauging her reactions as she slept, and pondering the events that the night had brought, thus far. When the time finally came, however, he had fallen asleep as well, leaning against the end of her bed, arms and legs both crossed, as he kept his constant vigil and watched over her protectively, even in his dreams.
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Inu Yasha was woken not too long after by the tossing and turning of the girl in the bed behind him. Getting up, albeit sluggishly, he crawled to where her head lay and, only inches from her face, examined her as thoroughly as could his eyes alone. What he saw unnerved him slightly. Her eyes, though not seen from beneath the delicate lids that covered them, moved around frantically. She was dreaming, and by the tense, and rather pensive, look on her face, it wasn't a good dream in the least. Her eyebrows were drawn together tightly, raven arches pulled taut, as her lips scrunched together, forming a rather thin, not to mention pale, line in comparison to the tantalizing, rosy curves they once were. Shifting his weight, Inu Yasha placed most of it on one arm, one hand, as he lifted the other, removing the dampened cloth from her forehead and, laying his hand in place of it, frowned deeply. She was burning up. Rewetting and replacing the cloth, he stood to leave the room, intending on heading towards the bathroom to exchange the warmed water for a cooler batch when she woke, saying his name softly as her eyes adjusted to the brightness, or lack there of, within the confines of her darkened quarters.
"I... Inu Yasha?" Hearing a soft rustling of fabric, Inu turned to watch her form over his shoulder, noticing how her blinded eyes desperately tried to probe the darkness in search of a familiar form, or in that case, him.
"I'll be back." Seeing her sit up, Inu walked over to the bed and, lying hand on her shoulder, pushed her back down. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To get a glass of water." He shook his head softly.
"Forget it; I'll get it for you."
"But..." Inu's grip on her shoulder tightened as his eyes narrowed once more. There was that stubbornness again...
"What did I say before? No 'but's." Sighing softly and, for once, accepting defeat, Kagome lay back down as a wave of dizziness washed over her, and gave into the fatigue that seemed to have plagued her just as suddenly. After watching her a moment more, Inu Yasha turned towards the door again, finally trusting her to stay put, and left the vicinity of her room in search of the kitchen.
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"Oi, Kagome I..." The last of his breath rushed from between his parted lips, as he gazed upon the girl he had left only minutes before. She was asleep... again. Having turned onto her stomach, and seemingly into a more comfortable position, she lay, head pillowed in her arms, irritably tossing in her sleep in a torturous attempt to relive her moistened face from the hair that seemed to have an unhealthy attraction to it. As he walked closer, however, Inu Yasha noticed that it wasn't just the hair that was causing her trouble. Her face was once again one of pension, and as she softly mumbled in her sleep, silent tears trailed down her face, shining in the waning moonlight as if made of the purest of glass instead of the incessant pain of her aching heart.
"...'nu ya...sha..." At the sound of her voice, he took a step backwards. Was she... dreaming of him? Was she crying because of something he had done, or because of something she dreamt that he had done? Kagome tossed once more, laying fully on her back this time, as Inu Yasha stepped forward, placing himself on the bed beside her, only after setting the glass of water he had brought for her on the nightstand beside them. Trying to calm her, lest she wake from the rest she so greatly needed, fitful as it may have been, he leaned over her troubled form and began whispering softly, doing his best to comfort the girl without an acute knowledge of how to do so. After a few more minutes, Kagome's tossing had stopped, as well as her tears, and she lay prone on the bed once more. Burying her face in her pillow, Kagome sighed contentedly as Inu removed a fallen lock from her cheek, but began whimpering softly as he raised himself, readying to leave. Watching her intently, he noticed that her whimpering had decreased only as her face grew troubled once more, and soon decided that the best thing to do would be to stay, if only so she would get rest and wouldn't be hell to deal with in the morning. Sitting back down where he had slept before, Inu Yasha soon scooted slightly closer to her, as if an afterthought, yet not too much, so that he could be there if she needed him, yet at the same time, so he wouldn't be smacked if she suddenly woke up. Pondering the thoughts swimming through Kagome's mind as she dreamt, Inu Yasha soon fell into his own slumber, yet this one, he would never forget.
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Darkness...
Where was she?
... engulfing the world...
Wasn't she just with Inu Yasha?
... submerging the hopes and dreams of all...
She was really tired before, so maybe she was asleep?
... mere specks against the vast emptiness, the sunken socket...
But then, what kind of dream was this? Why were there no colors, shapes?
... that once held the mind's eye, watching all, knowing all, as ageless as time...
As Kagome looked around, begging, pleading with everything she was that her gaze would land on something, anything within the ink-like darkness that surrounded the small area on which she stood, she wrapped quivering arms around herself. It was so cold, so lonely. She just knew that something was going to randomly appear, scaring the shit out of her, just as if she were trapped within some sort of bad horror movie, and what was worse was that it was always obvious that it was going to happen, but she'd never know. Was that what life was like? Was there someone above watching, seeing the most obvious dangers and laughing while they were unaware? Was there really any truth to this sick, cosmic joke that everyone mentioned when something went wrong? She only smiled to herself. Maybe she really was going crazy, or at least she would be if she was kept there any longer... wherever there was.
A flash of light lit up her surroundings, yet still she saw nothing but darkness. Had it been lighting? Was that sky up there? She couldn't have been out in the storm; there was no rain, or at least she couldn't feel any. As if the heavens had read her mind, Kagome instantly felt a small, pang of wetness upon her cheeks. Reaching up, she trailed her fingers across them, and yet came up with nothing. It felt wet, but there was no water; there were no tears. Soothing sounds, maybe a voice, broke through the void of darkness, loneliness, and then he was there, looking at her curiously from a distance, though due to a lack of landmarks, she couldn't tell how far. However, it couldn't have been much, fore in the next second he was beside her, staring down at her, a somewhat confused expression plastered across his, otherwise peaceful, face.
"K... Kagome? Where the hell is this?" He looked around for a moment, golden eyes venturing across the landscape before turning his gaze on the relieved, yet confused, face before him.
"I don't know." She looked past his right shoulder sheepishly, focusing on nothing in particular, not like there was anything to focus on anyway, but feeling as if she couldn't look him in the eyes for some reason. Gulping softly, she moved towards him, grabbing his arm as if to assure herself that he was actually there, and then looked up at him, relief slowly ebbing into nervousness once more. "Can you see anything? I can't, but you have better vision than I do." Her heart sank as he shook his head.
"No, I can't see or hear anything." As if proving his point, the small white tufts of ears atop his head swiveled, rotting towards every direction in a vain attempt to pick up any sound other than the natural noises proving that they, at least, were alive.
"Oh..." An awkward moment passed between the two, neither one of them having any idea what to say, much less what to do.
"What are we standing on?" Kagome looked up as if startled and, testing the darkness by tapping the heel of her shoe against it, she shrugged, sighed softly and leaned back.
"I have no idea. It's hard, but there's nothing there. Besides I..." Kagome bolted upright as she felt her back hit solid matter, not noticing how Inu Yasha stiffened as she did so. Looking behind her, Kagome reached out an arm, one which easily passed through the space provided, where she had, just a moment before, leaned against. "What the..." Testing her luck, Kagome turned back to Inu Yasha and, giving him a glance that simply said "watch this", leaned back again, her flesh connecting with solid matter, proven to be so as she slid down it, and sat on what appeared to be the floor. "Weird..."
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It felt like hours had passed as they sat there, staring at the darkness with nothing to say. Both had lost the sense of fear from this place long ago, mainly due to the fact that if something were going to happen, it probably would've already, and, to be honest, they might've welcomed the change from the drab scenery, or lack there of. Hell, they'd probably rather be stuck with Sesshoumaru in a bad mood teaching them advanced calculus and giving them tests for two hours than be stuck there, but they had no choice, and so, after who knows how long, they skipped straight to the last resort, actual conversation. Kagome shifted nervously, tilting her head back against the wall that wasn't there, and sighed.
"Do you think we're dreaming?"
"I don't know." They sat in silence a moment longer.
"You know, I was here first, so you might just be part of my dream." Inu Yasha thought about that for a moment.
"Or you could be part of mine." The talking died out, trailing off into the vast emptiness of the world around them, before Kagome had an idea.
"So... if this is a dream, and we'll assume it is... shouldn't we be able to control it?" Inu Yasha shrugged.
"Probably. It's supposed to work like that."
"Hmmm..." Inu Yasha turned towards Kagome, eyebrow rising in curiosity. She was still sitting there, just like before, but now she had an intense look of concentration on her face, as if she was trying to will something into existence. Within an instant the black faded, melting around them to reveal a breath-taking forest scene. Birds flew from the many masses of trees about them, calling out as they took off into the cerulean skies, and the sun shone over head, causing the dew on the early morning grass to glisten and gleam, shining as if the droplets, in themselves, were tiny suns of their own respective universes. The "wall" behind them had been replaced by the trunk of a large tree, and it actually felt coarse, rough beneath their skin. All in all, the scene was magnificent, and if he didn't know better, Inu might've thought that they had traveled through time, returned to the Sengoku Jedai. He was, however, broken from his trance, the amazement seeping from his face as he saw a small white rabbit skip across their path. Turning towards Kagome, he couldn't help but notice how happy she looked, how she seemed to be enthralled with everything, loving every bit of the nature that had come and gone as the years went by. She was beautiful, as breath-taking as the scenery, and there was only one thing left for him to do.
"Keh, hell no." Kagome turned to him, slightly stunned at how he could say no to such a place, and narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"What do you mean?" Inu Yasha shook his head and scowled.
"I am *not* sitting in a Disney movie." Ignoring the look of outrage on Kagome's face, Inu Yasha began concentrating himself, changing the scene from beautiful forestry to a party of some sort. By the decorations, Kagome could only conclude that it was a Halloween party. They were pool side, still in their regular clothes while the rest were either eating or swimming, no matter that it was night of course. Fake bats hung everywhere, accented with red eyes, combined with cob webs, ghosts and ghouls, and basically any other things one would normally see at a party such as this. Why would he want to imagine a place like this? Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously; she had found her answer, or should she have said, answers.
1. A table full of ramen
2. Lots and lots of bathing suits.
Maybe Miroku was starting to rub off on him.
"I am *not* wearing one of those." Turning her gaze on the startled boy, Kagome glared for all her worth and began concentrating again. Inu Yasha, in his right, hadn't even thought about the bathing suits; he just remembered this being the best ramen he'd ever had and wanted a table full of it. Besides, at least there was food there, imaginary or not, and it smelled heavenly. Noticing the scenery fade, changing once more into the illuminated clearing it once was, Inu closed his eyes and concentrated as well, doing the best he could to keep his ramen and leave the Disney world behind. He was hungry damnit!
As the battle ensued, the landscape changed from trees to people, grass to water, ramen to bushes, and back again, over and over until finally, as their strength ran low, both tried as hard as they could before slumping over on whatever was next to them. They could live in the other's world, even if they didn't want to. At the sound of Kagome's scream, followed closely by a splash, Inu turned towards her triumphantly, only to take a step back once he saw her.
Okay, so she had been, maybe a *little* smug when she ended up with her hand resting against a tree. She figured that she had won, but it wasn't until Kagome had fallen into the pool that she had realized that something was wrong, horribly, horribly wrong. Oh, she had no idea. As she emerged from beneath the, surprisingly warm, waters, Kagome could only gawk, mirroring Inu Yasha's mental reaction, at the world they had unintentionally created.
What did their newest world look like? Imagine the pool party, night, people, pool, food, etc. Place a large, LARGE tree in the center of the pool, replace the concrete with grass, and the people with walking, talking trees. Add some light rays plummeting from the sky in only certain areas of the night, and exchange the food table for a bush, so that all of the food was now dirty and covered with leaves, seeping through the branches to collect in a massive blob on the ground below. Actually, other than the mess of food, if it hadn't been so freaky, it would've been cool. The tree in the pool could be great for playing on, and the grass was certainly more comfortable than concrete, after all. Of course, as all things do, that thought also came to an end, living out its short lifespan only to have a heart attack as a creature with the front half of a rabbit and the back half of a bat half hobbled, half flew past, teetering and wiggling all the way. Then it just became creepy. Both creeped out beyond all recognition, Inu and Kagome made an unconscious decision; black was much better. Instantly the world around them returned to the simple darkness it has previously been, no trees, no pool, no ramen bush, and most certainly no bat-rabbit. Things were back to normal... or what could be considered normal there anyway, and Kagome was once again dry, a big plus as far as she was concerned. Slumping against the darkness once more, the two lay their heads against the non-existent wall and closed their eyes, trying to slow the beating of their hearts, and trying to get used to the lack of landscape around them once more.
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Okay, so it was dark, he was bored, and Kagome's incessant yawning was driving him crazy. How could she be tired in a dream? Well, if they were in a dream anyway. A small yawn followed a larger one, before a very audible growling was heard.
"Keh, if you're so tired, why don't you go to sleep and stop making me yawn!" Yawning again, Kagome rubbed her eyes and stretched.
"Is it even possible to sleep in a dream?" Inu Yasha glared.
"Is it possible to be tired in a dream?" Kagome simply shrugged and lay down, head instantly pillowed by something soft, yet unable to be seen.
"I don't know, but it's worth a try right?" Wiggling a bit to get comfortable, Kagome continued in a slightly more sleepy tone, "Then again..." she yawned softly as she patted the non-existent pillow, drowsiness overcoming her senses as if a warm blanket before bed. "... maybe this darkness..." Eyes drifting shut, she cuddled closer to the "pillow" and smiled contentedly, "...isn' so bad." As Kagome slept, Inu Yasha watching over her, he couldn't help but get a sense of dejavu. Lying on her stomach, arms pillowing her head beneath the make-shift pillow, she looked just as he remembered seeing her last, at home, in bed, and with a fever. He briefly wondered if she was still sick or if the fever had at least broken sometime while she was asleep, inevitably bringing his thoughts towards the more relevant question; what were either of them doing? He supposed that he was the one dreaming all of this, especially considering that she was now asleep in the dream, as they called it, and if it were her dream, she'd be too asleep to dream him up. Wait, did that make sense? It sounded better in his head. Wait, he thought that so technically it was still in his head. Oh, whatever. Letting his eyes glance about the emptiness around them, Inu Yasha decided that, as long as Kagome was asleep, she'd never know if he changed the scenery a bit... right? Practically drooling with anticipation, the darkness began to shimmer, and Inu Yasha got ready to eat.
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"Finally, you're awake!" It seemed like she had been asleep for a few hours, not nearly enough for Inu Yasha's taste, but the truth was that he was starting to get bored. Sure, he had had his ramen, but no company, and that could make a guy a bit lonely, even one as stubborn as he. Inu had actually been quite lucky that he had noticed her stirring, tossing slightly in her sleep before she woke up. It had given him time to change the scenery back in the emptiness she had left it as, so that she would wake to it once more, never aware of what went on during her nap... hopefully. Kagome sat up and smiled, taking Inu Yasha's outburst as a sign of affection, though his voice said otherwise, and stretched her arms above her head. That nap had felt good.
"Technically, we're both still sleeping... or one of us is anyway." Taking a second to think about this, Inu Yasha blinked.
"Oh yeah... shut up." Kagome smiled triumphantly at the pout he was attempting to hide, all the while rising to her knees on the way to standing up. However, her good cheer didn't last long, as a dense silence overtook them once more. When would they get out of there? She didn't want to be trapped there for the rest of her life... wherever there was. The company really wasn't that bad and she could get used to having anything she imagined, but she had a life to lead! What was happening to her body while she was in there being bored? Come to think of it, if they could do anything they wanted, why were they bored? They could play a game or go back in time or something. Wait, what was she thinking? They had to get out of there! Had they been wrong about it being a dream? How would you wake yourself from a dream anyway? Turning to stare at the emptiness she now stood on, Kagome turned her attention to, hopefully, more productive means.
"When do you think we'll get... "
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The sunlight filtered through the gap in a young girl's curtains, diminishing the darkness from the room. In the sky, the clouds had dissipated earlier in the night, and now all that was left was the sun and a lot of road clean up. As the beams of light flittered across Kagome's face, dancing about her eyes and forehead, the young girl stirred softly, unaware of the boy that lay beside her, albeit on the floor. Chocolate and amber, both registered their surroundings and shot forth as their respective masters rose, bolting from their sleep with equally shocked expressions on their faces. Turning to one another, Kagome still in her rumpled school uniform, hair tousled from the night's sleep, and Inu Yasha, still in the clothes from the night before, leaning one arm against the bed he had slept against not moments before, both stared, wide-eyed as the events from the dream took a hold of their minds. Both had thought that they had been alone in the dream, but as they stared at one another, they knew differently. What could be said in a situation such as this, when the mind and body, confused and dazed, tried to force the mid to react without avail?
"Well, that was interesting."