Dreamers Chapter 3: Road Rules, an inuyasha fanfic

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us—" Romans 5:2-5

DREAMERS

CHAPTER THREE: ROAD RULES

"Why don't you start us off this time, Buddy?"

"Nah, you go ahead. I'm no good at thinking of topics."

"Alright, let's see," Pal looked around for second. "Hmmm…" There was nothing around but dozens of hills for the cow pasture on the left side of the road. Unfortunately the scrumptious creatures were protected by a barb wire fence. Nothing over there gave him any ideas except of food. He then turned his head to look over Buddy and Quiet One. To the right side of the road was a vast woodland area no more than a quarter a mile away. Still, he couldn't think of anything.

"Come on, pokey, we don't have all day."

He stared at one of the solemn guards walking at a distance behind them, his eyes traveling the side of his waist—and the long sheath that hung from his belt. "Oooh! Okay, I got one!"

"Let's hear it then," Inuyasha chuckled in response. "I'll take anything you throw at me."

Pal smirked before grasping the chains on his wrists and holding them securely. "We'll see." He shook his hands firmly creating a light ringing noise. After that, he jingled them twice more to keep up the tempo. "Category!" he bellowed loud and clear. "Swords!"

Inuyasha joined him in their small beat—synchronizing his jingling to Pal's.

"Samurai!" Pal shouted.

Clink

"Ninja!" Inuyasha chirped back.

Clink

"Naginata!"

Clink

"Zatoichi!" Inuyasha replied hastily.

Clink

"Ta-chi!" Pal sang happily.

Clink

"Shit."

The jingling stopped abruptly.

"That's not a sword," Pal smiled.

"You took mine!" Inuyasha pointed accusingly. "I was gonna say Ta-chi!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes!

"Tough luck. I still win."

Inuyasha growled something incoherent before looking away. "What kind of topic is swords anyways? You might as well do armor, military rankings, or just the whole damn war while you're at it."

"There's an idea." The man smiled coyly. "Don't get all mad now, kid. I mean, a soldier should be able to identify all his weapons—from spears to daggers. You're just a little inexperienced with those types of things right now."

"What the heck is this?" Inuyasha shouted incredulously. "Another history lesson? I already told you I know everything about war—I just couldn't think of something right away! "

Pal only grunted before speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm sorry I ruined your perfect winning streak, kid, but you can't have em' all."

"Whatever. The game's stupid anyways," Inuyasha huffed.

"It's good for you though. It keeps you on your toes."

"I've been on my toes for far too long already and my feet are starting to get blisters," he complained before looking the other way—which just happened to be at the quiet girl who hadn't said a word in the past hour or so despite Pal's earnest attempt to get her to speak. At least they'd gotten her to stop crying. All she did now was stare at her feet as they walked steadily on and pretended she didn't hear them. It was like nothing mattered anymore. Is this what happened to people that never got out of slavery? God, he hoped it wasn't. He just wasn't meant to be here. He wasn't meant to work or prostrate himself before someone else. He was used to it being the other way around back where he came from. Inuyasha sighed at his predicament. Why him? Why did he always get trapped in the worst places with the weirdest people?

Pal simply shrugged and scratched his long beard. "Fine we won't play it then. It's no fun when you're with a sore loser."

"Just shut the hell up." Inuyasha glared daggers at the man. This was starting to get annoying. He could feel his blood boil after that last comment and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to contain himself any longer. "If I wasn't freaking chained to you, I'd strangle you to death."

"Oh?" Pal smiled skeptically. "Sounds a little violent. Hmmm. That would be an interesting game to play, but you'd never win at that either. I was going easy on you before when you decided to pull that little stunt of yours. I might not be so forgiving next time. And besides, if I did end up kicking your arss, I just don't think I could bear the thought of you getting all down on yourself again."

"You're right," he sneered. "I got an even better game that we can play, Pal. It's called, Shut-the-F-ck-Up, and the first one who opens their ugly trap can punch themselves on their goddamn fruity face!"

'And there they go again' Kagome sighed. She was getting a little sick of their constant feuds. At first it had been surprisingly funny. She had never seen two people argue with such intense hatred. And if she did, they were between slaves whom Keiji reprimanded immediately.

But after awhile her head was starting to hurt. She didn't know what was worse—that annoying clanking sound or the tone of their bickering voices. They both gave her an inexplicable headache. They'd been playing that game for over an hour shouting topics anywhere from bugs to plants to animals. And she was sick of it. Or maybe…maybe the game bothered her so much because she wanted to play. Yes, how could she pass up the opportunity to amuse herself? She loved to play. Anything. It didn't matter what game. She could engage herself in—

'Look at me,' Kagome caught herself and sadly shook her head. 'I can't go one measly day without wanting to play a silly game of Category. Ridiculous.'

She had never heard of it until the bearded man called Pal asked if anyone remotely near him wanted to play. Since they were at the back of the line, the only people who could join in were the people in front of them. Of course those people and everyone else including her were too weary and depressed to oblige. That's when the grouchy man next to her volunteered. They were instantly absorbed with the petty excuse for entertainment—both laughing and making that awful clinging noise with no thought of the last fight they'd just had. Funny how boys were so quick to forgive and forget. So different from girls.

"Kikyo," Kagome whispered raising her head back to observe at the clouds in the sky. Her neck hurt from leaning over so much and her back was killing her from the long walk. But whenever she looked up at the sky, everything felt so light. Almost like there was some hope; perhaps some point to life. The clouds floated so easily; so careless of her internal strife or of the way her heart felt like it was slowly being torn to pieces. The tears on her face had dried in the past hour or so, but her eyes continued to sting—a small reminder of the past she had left behind. She couldn't take her mind off of today's incident for more than a second. What had exactly happened? What had she done wrong? Did Kikyo know that she was going to be sold this morning while they were playing? And if so, why didn't she at least say good-bye? It was the least she could do for a playmate—no a friend that she had basically spent her entire life with.

'I thought she loved me.' Kagome grieved. But somewhere in the back of her head, she couldn't help but think, 'How can anybody love a slave? They're a disgrace and abhorrence to the gods.'

That last thought did the trick as she felt something inside her snap. A fresh wave of grief spilled over her along with more tears. And there was nothing she could do this time to hold it in.

The men next to her immediately stopped whatever they were fighting over to stare at the sad girl who was now heaving and hiccupping miserably. Her elegant, yet poorly kept gown was filthy and tattered yet it served as her only tissue to blow her red nose. But as they watched her tug on that long raven hair, they realized that that probably worked too.

'Ewwww,' Inuyasha thought for the second time that day. As pitiful and sorry-looking as she was, the girl sure had a knack for grossing him out. 'She better wash that when she's done.'

"Poor lass," the man next to him reached out behind Inuyasha's back and stroked the girl's hair back and tucked it gently behind her ear.

She almost recoiled at his simple touch, but something inside stopped her from doing so. She wanted someone to touch her. She longed for someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Lady Kimi always did that when Kikyo was upset, but whenever Kagome was feeling blue, there was no one to comfort her. She never felt so alone right now. Kikyo was supposed to be there for her. But even she had turned her back against Kagome. Kikyo had betrayed her. Kikyo didn't love her. No one did. Great, now she was bitter and wallowing in self-pity.

"Here," Pal reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. She took it gratefully, muttering a small, "Arigato," before wiping her delicate face.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the warm exchange. The guy was such a suck up. And she…she was just a Northern bitch. The only reason her appearance had caught him off guard was because he'd recognized her as the girl from this morning. The mysterious girl standing at the edge of the cliffs looking out to sea…But that wasn't all—she also reminded him of a girl he once knew…a childhood friend…but this girl wasn't her despite their physical resemblance. No, the more he thought about it, he more he realized how different the two were. His friend had been strident and spirited whereas this girl seemed as timid as a mouse. He refused to compare them anymore. The most important difference between them was that she was a Northerner while his friend was not. That's what counted.

He hated Northerners—every last one them including women. Therefore he hated her. Not personally—more like the Northern blood that coursed through her veins. He didn't believe that crap Pal had spouted about all Northern slaves originating from the Southern lands. It was impossible. And if by some miracle it was true, it only infuriated him more. How could they sleep at night knowing they'd broken one of the most important laws of nature? They had taken away the one thing every person and demon for that matter is required to have: freedom.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss that might cheer you up?" Pal asked kindly then waved his hand in dismissal when she tried to return him the snot-ridden hankie. "Nah, you can keep it."

"Don't let her have it," Inuyasha cut in. "Or she'll start thinking that she can take whatever she wants from us like the rest of her people."

"My people?" Kagome repeated dumbfounded.

"Yes," he smiled snidely without a glance in her direction—his eyes still focused angrily on Pal's. "Northern scumbags, your people."

"Now, wait a sec—" Kagome began.

"That's enough, Buddy," Pal interrupted the growing conflict with a soft growl. "This woman isn't the responsible for our current situation. So don't take your aggression out on her. She probably doesn't even have a clue what's going on in this whole war." He leaned closer to Inuyasha so the Quiet One couldn't hear. "A sheltered life, it seems, eh?"

"Trust me," Inuyasha scowled unconvinced. "I've seen plenty of women just like her. Hookers who come to you during the night acting like playful little kittens but in the end, all they do is corrupt you and sell you out to your enemies. And if they're really feeling like conniving little whores, they'll give out coordinates of where your regiment is camping for the night so in the morning they can ambush you."

The man just smiled again and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Buddy. Are we trying to impress everyone by telling me you had a hooker in your tent?"

"Shut-up. You know I could care less what everyone else thinks."

"Maybe...soo, was that some kind of hypothetical reasoning sort of thing or was it from personal experience?"

"Uh, the first one," he murmured darkly still afraid that he might reveal too much of himself. As it stood, the man already had one up on him, yet he had uncovered nothing about him in return. Well, just by listening to the rambling guy, you could tell he wasn't hiding too much. Not everyone, he reminded himself, lived a secretive life.

A rather awkward silence passed between them.

"My, my, my. I do believe you're still upset from our little brawl from before. Does losing always have this kind of an effect on you?"

Yes.

"No!" Inuyasha retorted. "You think I care about that stupid game?"

Yes.

"Just don't lash out on the girl, that's all I'm saying."

"Ugh, forget it," Inuyasha cried out in defeat. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"Fine," Pal folded his arms serenely.

"Fine," Inuyasha said evenly doing the same.

Pal tilted his head up and closed his eyes.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind playing that game you're talking about before," Kagome's soft-spoken voice broke through the Battle of the Silence—a game she was all too familiar with from being Kikyo's friend. She knew the consequences of not breaking that game up. One time she and Kikyo stayed up all night until the sun rose staring each other down. It was such a waste of time now that she thought about it. "That is," she looked at the man named Buddy. "If your friend doesn't mind."

"Keh, of course I mind!" He whirled around to face her grabbing her arm in the process. "You think you can just waltz right in—" That was one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made. Their faces were just mere inches apart. For the first time that day he looked at her. Actually looked at her. Her tear-streamed face no longer appeared so melancholy. She seemed to radiate with a set look of determination. But her eyes, they revealed everything. If she was trying to hide her fear of him she wasn't doing a very good job. He could read her fear mixed with angst and perhaps a sense of loss. God, if he didn't look away soon, he might lose himself right then and there.

She felt his warm breath blow across her face and felt her own caught deep in her chest. Now this was a rather gauche situation. He didn't even seem to realize that his hand was wrapped tightly around her pale thin arm. Yet she didn't seem to be noticing either. They were too focused on each other's eyes. Chocolate brown eyes staring deeply into equally dark yet uncertain brown eyes. She was terrified. It was almost like he was staring right through her—past her. She didn't like that.

"I—" Kagome started,

"Aha!" Pal rejoiced. "You spoke! I win again." He grabbed Inuyasha who still hadn't moved, and ruffled his fine black hair. "Must be my lucky day or something." With that he roughly shoved Inuyasha's head down to look over at Kagome. "So you want to play, huh?"

"Wha-What?" Kagome stuttered like an idiot. Her face was burning a bright crimson color. By god, she'd never been so close to a boy in her life. Her stomach was doing flip-flips inside and she was feeling overwhelmingly dizzy. Sure, there had been that one time with a stable boy at Kazuo's manner who'd taken an interest in her a few years back and even went so far as to try to kiss her. But Kagome, like a foolish girl ran away before he could even perform the kiss and she'd told Kikyo what had happened. Kikyo, being her dutiful friend and protector made sure that Stable Boy was sold—much to Kagome's horror. It wasn't that Kagome didn't like him. She just wasn't entirely prepared. Afterwards she felt awful about it.

Stable Boy may have made her nervous it wasn't anything compared to what she had just felt this very instant. This man, whom she had known for less than an hour had made her feel something she had never felt before…self-conscious. She wrung her fingers through her dress nervously and bit her lip. Why did time seem to freeze while she stared hopelessly into this man's eyes? It was like she couldn't think; she couldn't breathe. She could barely feel his stern hand on her arm. All she could feel was the pounding of her heart against her ribcage. She'd never seen someone with such beautiful entrancing eyes in her entire life. It was like those eyes held a hidden secret. For just a fraction of a second his eyes seemed to flash a different color. Something akin to gold. No wonder her heart was fluttering so violently.

"Forget it," Inuyasha jumped back in again. "She won't last one turn before losing." His cocky grin made her head spin all over again.

But the tingling feeling quickly faded after grasping what he had just told her. "Excuse me?" she huffed while pointing a daring finger at his chest. "For your information, I happen to be very good at this."

"Oh yeah?" He frowned at the intrusive digit poking into his rib cage rather annoyingly. His outlook on the girl on the girl was quickly dissipating. She no longer seemed so despondent or introverted—something that he preferred to this new girl. Where was all of this energy; this charisma coming from? There was a fire burning deep within her that he'd failed to notice until now. A smile worked its way onto his face. He could tell this was gonna be fun. "Alright, let's see what the crybaby can do—count me in too, Pal."

Kagome's jaw literally dropped. 'The nerve of this man!' She silently vowed right then and there that she would never let him see her cry again.

"It's settled then," Pal cut in again before Kagome could throw out an insult. "The first person who messes up is out while the other two continuing playing. I'll start us off."

Once again the light ringing of chains sounded throughout the back of the group. It was slightly louder than before with Kagome included.

"Category!"

Clink

"Constellations!" Pal smiled wryly at Inuyasha.

Clink

("You f-cking can't be serious," moaned Buddy.)

Clink

"Virgo!" Pal shouted.

Clink

"Orion," Buddy sighed boredly.

Clink

"Pegasus!" Kagome nearly sang.

Clink

"Andromeda!"

Clink

"Aquarius."

Clink

"Columba!"

Clink

"Sextans," Pal managed another secret grin.

Clink

"Aries."

Clink

"Delphinus."

Clink

"Ah—er…"

Clink

They stopped upon his fumbling.

Buddy simply shrugged. "What's the matter? Run out of women, lecher?

"Ah, so you know their meanings." Pal wiped the sweat and grime off his face with the back of his hand looking a bit sheepish. "I'm impressed. You should know, my dear friend, that I only learn the important constellations. It would be completely tedious if otherwise." He gave a quick wink in Kagome's direction who was at a loss. "It's enough to arouse any fine speciman such as myself."

Buddy bit back the urge to laugh and instead his reply came out as a loud cough.

"Uh…" Kagome stared unaware of the insinuations taking place. "So what happens now?"

"You and me now, animal lover," Inuyasha glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Fine," she met his challenging gaze filled with a strange sense of excitement.

"Heh," Pal smiled. "Why don't you guys start where we left off."

"That's fine by me."

"Me too," Kagome answered quickly afraid he might think her cowardly if she didn't speak up.

"Alright," Pal jingled his chains resuming the steady beat.

Clink

"Taurus," Buddy said.

Clink

"Phoenix."

Clink

"Leo."

Clink

"Sagittarius."

"That's not a constellation," Buddy interrupted the beat with a solemn frown.

"What?" she gaped incredulously.

"I said that's not a constellation!" His voice went up a notch.

"Are you calling me a liar?" she glared. "Just because I didn't name an animal doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Sagittarius happens to be Babylon's god of War. Trust me, ask anyone and they'll tell you that I'm right."

"Oh yeah?" he raised a brow. "Mind explaining why I've never seen let alone heard of it before?"

"Well if you've lived in the South all your life then you'd only see it during the wintertime and it'd probably be too cold to look for it. But you can see it up here in the North. I always trace out different stars that have been named."

"So now you're the astrologist?"

"No," she shook her head.

"You sound like one with that prissy Northern nobility accent."

She blushed before looked away from him. "Well, at least I don't speak like a ruffian. Gods, are you always this argumentative?"

"Just around snotty bitch know-it-alls."

"Why—why you!" she pointed a finger at him.

"Yes…?" he nodded patiently.

"Ugh! Insufferable—that's what you are! Positively insufferable," she huffed dramatically.

"Uh-huh," he looked at the ground with a put-off expression. Somehow he was expecting more than that.

She folded her arms and continued looking at the rolling hills around her with an occasional glance at the forest just beyond. She was a little disappointed in herself too. 'Come on, Kagome that sucked. You're wittier than that.'

"Can't you keep your voices down a bit?" a man with curly red hair in front of Buddy turned around and stared at him with a serious expression on his face. "I'm tired of listening to your squabbles."

Shut-up friggin carrot-top prick. You're just mad and bitter cuz nobody asked you to play."

"So I guess that means that you've lost twice in a row now," Pal whispered quietly to Inuyasha.

"Will you also shut-up for once? I told you I'm not in the mood."

"OOoh, Doll-face is grouchy," Pal puffed his face up like Buddy's.

"Jeeze, you're like my mom when she's trying to act cool around my friends."

"You wound me."

"Get used to it."

"And here I was under the impression that I was your only friend."

"If that were true then I'd wound myself as well," he chuckled.

"Ah, well you say that now, but one day you'll find yourself completely alone in this world and you'll be begging for just one person to show you kindness and lend you a helping hand when in you're in need."

'Been there done that,' Kagome laughed to herself.

"Keh, I don't need anyone."

"Of course."

They walked on in silence as the sun continued to dip lower in the sky. The dirt road seemed to widen as the slaves approached a junction. They were less than a mile from their destination. Everyone else had fallen silent sensing the ominous presence of General of the Northern Army's estate drawing closer. A heavy cloud of dread mixed with uncertainty and apprehension seemed to loom over the marching slaves. Nobody was smiling. Even the guards seemed tense.

"Why is everyone so scared?" Kagome whispered.

"Aren't you?" Pal responded quietly.

"I don't know. Should I be?"

"Feh, I'm not scared," Buddy mumbled. "The guy's a wolf. He may be ugly, but other than that there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Buddy…" she smiled warmly.

His face paled at the informal address. "Who the f-ck said you can call me 'Buddy', whore? Don't freakin act like you know m—"

A huge explosion shattered the air cutting Buddy off. It erupted somewhere near the edge of the forest sending tremors beneath the floor knocking them and everyone else connected to the dusty ground. Several moments passed before everyone could register what was taking place.

Kagome was sprawled out on the floor with a pair of arms encircling her. 'Buddy?' His eyes were alert yet his face remained calm and almost passive as he knelt over her.

Somewhere in the distance a man appeared from the forest shouting something about broken defenses. The guards who had managed to stay on foot watched the man and several others now emerging from the dense woodland area in utmost confusion. Their piqued curiosity however did nothing to decipher or heed the obvious warnings.

Suddenly, a deafening whistle pierced the night sky. Kagome watched both fascinated and horrified as the front part of the line was engulfed in orange flame. It felt like an earthquake as her head was tossed hard against the ground. The last thing she felt was Buddy's warm body as he was also thrown flush against her while she slipped quietly into darkness.

"They're bombing us!" One of the guards shouted. "Someone tell them these slaves are their men! Tell them to stop firing at us!" The shouts and screams of the guards and others however went unheard as a huge division of men appeared out of the forest. They sported the dark navy Southern colors giving the impression that they were in no mood to accept surrender.

"How the hell did they manage to penetrate this far into the region?" Buddy whispered in quiet praise. He knew he should be scared considering his situation. He and all of his other Southern captured prisoners were in danger, but he couldn't wipe the smile that had formed on his face even if he tried. His Southern comrades had finally done it! Here was his chance to escape!

A series of sickening screeches sounded through the evening sky however made his stomach turn over.

"Aw, shi—" He felt the heat of the blast before he even saw it come. The slaves in the front of the line were instantly wiped out. He knelt even lower to the ground almost crushing the girl beneath her. Maybe he could use her as a shield. No, she wasn't big enough to protect him from a canon…and perhaps it was little dishonorable on his part too. More shrills of canons filled the air as he prepared himself. He had lived a good life. He had served his province well. He was ready for death—even if he died in the hands of his own people. 'They aren't my people,' he reminded himself even at a time such as this. 'Ha, damn Southerners and Northerners.'

As the noise grew louder he felt a massive force land on top of him at the last moment followed up by the most deafening explosion. Nothing in all his life could have prepared him for right now. He shut his eyes tight holding onto the girl beneath him with dear life praying that if he didn't live, she might. He waited to feel his body torn apart from the explosion, but it never came. To his surprise, he saw neither the white light of heaven nor the dark red of hell. He unconsciously clung tighter to the girl who had become frightfully limp. Gods, he was actually scared for once in his life!

The massacre continued for several minutes until at last the firing ceased. Buddy peeked through the crowds of dead bodies and saw the Southerners…retreating? Why? Had they accomplished their mission? Were they just trying to scare the Northerners or had they already annihilated them and just felt like blowing up innocent slaves for the heck of it? Had they mistaken them for a regiment? After all, there were at least a hundred of them—easily mistaken for something they were not. What the hell was going on? Since when had the Southerners ever taken the initiative to invade the Northern lands? Weren't they all about defense?

He rolled out from whatever had fallen on him in the brief exchange. Only to see the smiling face of Pal who had thrown himself over both Inuyasha and the girl at the last second. His shirt was covered in deep red and blood trickled down his chin.

'Pal…..'

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Author's Notes:

Wow did this chapter take me forever to write. It was hard getting any of my ideas to fit in without ruining or giving away something later on. Ah, well there's the beauty in taking a month off to plan. Anyways, more fluff should be coming in the next chapter. I'm a fluff fan.

Ah, the game of Category. It's a great family game to play when you're stuck in the car for hours and you're tired of naming license plates of cars from different states.

I wanted to give out the list for some of the definitions of constellations since one part of the story may have seemed a little confusing:

Virgo: maiden

Andromeda: chained lady

Sextans: sextant

Basically, the only constellations Pal knew were those of woman…and sextans—well that implies enough I'm sure

If you haven't caught on, Inuyasha calls the man, Pal and Pal calls Inuyasha, Buddy. Not too confusing I hope…

Okay, as always thanks to:

Windesprite, my proofreader, ur so awesome

Aislin, yeah, I thought I'd make Kikyo immature for once. She's too serious in other stories for her own good.

Blizzard-shadow-venus, I promise more fluff in the next chappy as well

HyperAnimeWolf, I agree with you, long chapters are wonderful. I'll try to write more next time

Cool-chick-rae, I'm glad you're an Inuyasha fan now. Trust me the shows just as addicting as Pokemon or Cardcaptors

InsanelyHappy, great pen name.

Carmella, I had as much of fun writing this story as you did reading it.

Thanks for the reviews. Really, reviews do inspire me. So anyways, if you feel like reading more, just click the lil button in left hand corner…and hopefully I'll come through.