A/N: Hello! I'm back! I've just been to an educational tour around the
biggest province and set of mountains that I have ever seen, and damn, I am
so exhausted. I'm still feeling kinda wasted right now. My companions and I
walked around a dozen kilometers and all to see some stupid pots and
paintings for our Humanities class. Our bus was hot, I had a project to
complete, and I got home around a couple of hours before midnight. SHIT!
Anyway, you probably aren't interested in my woeful life encounters, so on with the story! All questions and stuff will be answered at my after-chap- author's note. Ja!
By the way, these symbols: ---text--- denote things that are happening simultaneously in different pov's/places. Please don't be confused.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nanimo, nada, wala, niente, NOTHING. Get it? I'm broke!
-----/---@
SEVEN WEEKS
The Cry of Lost Hearts
-----/---@
She froze. 'I'm back in the dome, as Azalea... but how?'
-----/---@
"Naraku, I do not know what you are trying to pull, and frankly I do not care, but for the sake of the gods, let me GO!" Azalea hissed, her bleeding hands soaking her white gown with crimson blood.
'Even if what he says is true, about Inuyasha being just a dream, I still have to try to get out!' Azalea thought. 'This can't be happening... it seems that my worst fears are reality, and not my wish to be free, fighting with the warrior. But, how could it be? Could all have been just a dream? Was Inuyasha just a dream? Gods, no!'
"Now, now, Azalea," Naraku said in his creaking voice. "I do not want you hurting yourself. I cannot see you through the barrier, but your blood's scent is overpowering. I will come back when you calm down."
She blanched. "Naraku! Get back here, ima sugu ni! Naraku! Let me go!" the princess screamed, hatred filling her voice. "Naraku! Teme... let me go!" she kept screaming until she saw his outline leave the room, closing the door and shrouding the dome in darkness.
"Naraku... onegai..." she pleaded softly, tears running down her cheeks. "Onegai..."
-----/---@
"NANI?!" Inuyasha hollered at his mother, his jaw dropping in shock.
"I said, go call your father down for breakfast, dear. He must be dreadfully hungry by now," his mother said calmly, despite his most violent outburst.
"Demo... okaasan... what the fuck are you talking about?! Oyaji died ten years ago!" he exclaimed. His mother's head snapped up sharply at his words.
"Inuyasha! Don't say such things! Don't you even think that!" she said in sharp surprise. Seshoumaru looked strangely at him.
"Have you finally lost your mind, brother? Father is fine, nowhere near death, I assure you. He just scolded and lectured me yesterday about the proper use of condoms." Sesshoumaru said with a scowl.
"Father is..." Inuyasha stuttered. Then something about what his brother said struck him. "Condoms? Why the fuck were you talking about condoms?"
"Use your nose, son," a deep voice said from behind him.
'Masaka...' Inuyasha thought as he slowly turned to the painfully familiar voice. He froze when his eyes met the warm amber eyes of his father, Inutaisho.
"Otou- otousan?" Inuyasha asked in a voice a little above a whisper. His father smiled at him as he approached the table.
"Why Inuyasha! You look like you've seen a ghost!" he said with a grin.
Inuyasha shocked the socks out of everyone as he lunged up suddenly and grabbed his father up into a large bear hug, small tears beginning to leak out of his eyes.
"Tousan, god dammit, you're fucking alive!" Inuyasha exclaimed, earning him a strange look from all three other members of his family. Inutaisho was looking at Sesshoumaru, who was shaking his head with wide eyes.
His mother then decided to stand and try to pry her son away from her husband before he could crush him and REALLY kill him. "Inuyasha? What's wrong?"
"I..." Inuyasha said with a small blush. "I thought father was... well, dead!"
"Now what made you think that?" Taisho asked as he sat down at the head of the table. Everyone was staring at Inuyasha now.
"I dunno... but... is this real? I thought you've been dead for ten years, dad!" Inuyasha exclaimed in plain confusion.
"That must have been some dream, then," Seshoumaru said wryly from his place across Inuyasha. Inuyasha just shook his head in disbelief.
'This is weird.' He thought, but shrugged it off. "Yeah... I guess..."
Inuyasha had just begun to dig in when he remembered his father's comment about using his nose... Seshoumaru and the condom issue too... he sniffed around and gasped in shock. "Oi, Fluffy!" he called, ignoring the threatening look his brother sent his way. "Why do you smell weird today? You smell like someone else!"
His brother's glare turned into an embarrassed frown at his observation. Taisho snorted in amusement at that.
"Your wonderful brother here," he started "Had just mated with his girlfriend last night. And they're not even married yet, for shame!"
"WHAT?!"
Three pairs of eyes turned to Sesshoumaru, who blushed. "Rin and I are of age, father. Besides, she AGREED to it. We are now engaged, after all."
Inuyasha stared. 'Oh yeah, Rin. That wench who was my brother's prom date in his senior year. They're engaged?'
All four had just started eating in silence when the doorbell rang. Inuyasha blanched and called up his human disguise on impulse, while Inutaisho did the same as he sniffed the air. The taiyoukai suddenly smiled in relief.
"Inuyasha, I believe that is for you," he noted. Sesshoumaru sniffed then grunted in agreement. Inuyasha looked at them in confusion before turning to the direction of the front door and sniffing.
He nearly fell off his chair at what he smelled. He sniffed the air again, not daring to believe it. His mother just grinned and stood up.
"If you won't open the door for her, I will. You're gonna tire out the young woman!"
"NO! I'll do it!" Inuyasha said as he rushed to the door, his heart beating painfully rapid in his chest. 'Gods, please let it be real!' he prayed silently as he ran up to the door and twisted the knob open.
Inuyasha's breath caught up in his throat as he stared at the apparition before him. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, be it in his dreams or in reality.
"Kagome," he breathed, staring at her. Her raven hair was pulled up in a neat half-ponytail, her blue/gray eyes sparkling with glee. She was wearing the usual high school uniform - a short, gray green sailor fuku.
"Ohayou, Inu-chan," she greeted, unwittingly triggering a long coughing fit from the hanyou. She looked at him in concern as she patted his back.
'Inu-chan?' Inuyasha thought as his coughs died out.
"Well, will you let me in anytime soon or do I have to wait for autumn?" Kagome asked with a small smile.
"Oh, yes, yes, come in!" Inuyasha said as he stepped back, still feeling confused. How was Kagome here? Wasn't she supposed to be in Crystallia? 'But then again,' he thought, 'Crystallia IS just a dream, right? But why is Kagome here?'
-----/---@
"So, what do you think? Will those two make it?" the earth youkai asked its companion, who just shrugged.
"I do not know," she stated, her luminous form floating about two prone figures. "This man, Inuyasha, is it? He is quite strong-willed. We will have trouble with him. His dreams come before his fears."
The earth youkai shook his head. "Your plan confuses me. Why don't we just kill them and get it over with?"
"Bakero. Because if we do that, we won't be able to suck their powers in! By letting them realize their deepest fears, they would slowly expel their powers and we can grab hold, as what is happening to Kagome. See?" she said, pointing to Kagome, who was expelling small balls of light from her body.
"I see," the earth youkai said. "Through feeding on their desperation, you can take advantage of them. Your being a dream youkai is quite an advantage in this!"
"Yes... but this warrior... the knight, as Naraku called him. He is very ambitious. His dreams then tend to come before his fears in his mind. Unlike the girl. She harbors deep fears on the fore of her mind. It would take a while before we can draw out Inuyasha's fears and powers," the misty dream youkai said.
"I do not care. We will take their powers, no matter how long it takes."
"Oh yeah? Well, might I remind you something? If these two have very strong emotions that persist within them, there is a chance that they just might wake up from this spell..."
The earth youkai looked astounded. "What kind of emotions?"
-----/---@
Sango couldn't stop the fear that was crawling through her skin. Something was terribly wrong, yet she knew that she couldn't do anything about whatever it was. Gods, she just knew something terrible was happening to Kagome... er... Azalea.
Kagome is Azalea's real given name. The name that her parents had given her upon her birth. The name that she had had to abandon when she became princess. And it was also the name that she had always asked Sango to call her, almost as if to serve as her reminder of her old life with her beloved family. The only family she had in the castle upon becoming princess was her elder brother Souta, but she was not even allowed to talk to him as a brother - only as a soldier. It had pained Kagome very much, ordering her brother around to dangerous missions, but it was his duty... one that her brother had most willingly taken.
She was not supposed to be called anything but Azalea, but being the only girl in the palace with whom she could share her woes with, Sango had reluctantly agreed, being the right hand and all. Friendship between princess and dame grew since then.
Since speaking with Miroku that morning, her worry suddenly grew. She had to find him. After all, HE always bothered her with his problems. It was time SHE bothered HIM.
-----/---@
"Houshi-sama!" Miroku perked up at that. Something was up, and he was half- expecting Sango to call up in a bit. How well he knew her!
"Sango-sama! Why were you calling for me?" he asked as he ran into her.
"Houshi-sama... Aza-chan is in danger. I mean, really in danger. I don't know how but... I can feel it! Her power is fluctuating horribly! Do you think that Naraku finally got his hands on the power of the Shikon?" she asked in one breath.
"Whoa. Slow down!" he said fondly. "First of all, I do not think that Naraku has the power. We would be dead by now if he did. Secondly, Azalea- sama may be having trouble, but I am sure that she can handle it. She is strong, Sango-sama. Thirdly... I think it is Inuyasha that we should be worried about. I can't feel his aura. It's almost as if he weren't here, but... I don't get it."
They stared at each other as both continued to desperately worry.
-----/---@
"Hey! Daijobu ka?"
Inuyasha stopped his steady strides to regard the girl who stood beside him. Kagome. She was smiling, as usual, but he knew something was wrong.
The day had been perfect, so far. He had woken to find himself home, his father was alive, he and Sesshoumaru got along fine, his mother was in perfect health, and Kagome... Well, he had concluded from the way his family smiled and looked at him and Kagome that she was actually his girlfriend.
'But that doesn't make sense!' he thought in disdain. How come he remembered everything differently?! Was all that he remembered a dream? Ten years worth of his memory was all a dream? He pinched himself discreetly as he looked at Kagome. It hurt. Shit.
"Inu-chan, you've been zoned out since this morning. Is something wrong?" she asked in concern, gripping his fingers tightly in her small hand.
Inuyasha shook his head and squeezed her fingers reassuringly. He still felt weird, but holding Kagome this way was just so... right... He decided to forget whatever was bothering him and concentrate on the day and their short trip to school.
"Ano... Kagome? Could you tell me... well... how did we meet?" he asked slowly, not knowing what to expect.
Kagome just looked at him. "Baka... after we got Naraku, remember? Azalea let you make a wish and you said you wanted your father back... and ME. So, I came back to your world with you."
"Nani?" he asked, confused as ever. He looked up to the skies in thought. 'We defeated Naraku? But... why don't I remember?'
A sharp gasp interrupted his musings and he looked down at Kagome just in time to see her falling forward. "Kagome!" he shouted in alarm as he caught her and stilled when he noticed blood on his hands. He looked at her in apprehension and saw to his horror that a sharp spear was wedged right in the middle of her abdomen, and her eyes were wide in pain, her mouth spewing blood.
"Kagome!" he shouted, laying her down on her side, not knowing what to do with the spear, he took a quick look around him to see who had shot her, but no one was there. Kagome took the spear in her hands and pulled the spear out, choking on her own blood as she did so.
She lay herself on her back and reached a hand up to cup his cheek. She pulled him down for a last, weak kiss, before going limp in his arms.
"No... hell no! Kagome!" he screamed in agony. "No! You can't leave me! No! God dammit, don't do this to me! Kagome!"
She remained still. He tried desperately to shake her awake, but all to no avail. She was dead. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he stood and started to run in a vain attempt to find anyone who could have possibly done that to Kagome. As he turned the corner though, his shock just grew.
There lay his father, probably in pretty much the same way he looked when he was killed ten years ago, lying in a pool of his own blood, eyes open and unseeing, a spear through his body. He screamed in rage and turned the next corner, only to have his breath catch. Everything around him was in flames. The houses, the school, everything... in ruins and flames.
He watched in stunned horror as everything in his world was destroyed in less than a heartbeat, when a familiar, vile scent intruded his senses.
"NARAKU!!!!"
-----/---@
She was feeling weaker... weaker than she ever remembered feeling. It was consuming her... but she could do nothing.
'How?' she thought. 'How could it all have been a dream? Gods, Inuyasha! It's impossible, but then... how could I be here if it wasn't?'
"Inuyasha..." she called in silent desperation, clasping her bleeding hands together in prayer. "Onegai... if you are anywhere out there... if you truly do exist... please, come to me! Inuyasha... I..."
A fresh torrent of tears escaped her eyes as she continued pleading. "Please, Inuyasha! Tell me that this is all a nightmare!"
-----/---@
---"Kagome! Tell me that this isn't real!" he shouted at the prone figure that he now cradled in his arms. His world was crumbling down... literally. He had nowhere to go, and for some reason, decided to go to Kagome, simply wishing to hold her prone form as everything had gone up into ashes.
"Kagome, open your eyes!"---
---"I know you're out there, god dammit! It can't have been all a dream Inuyasha!" she screamed, knowing somehow, how she did she didn't know, that her memories of Inuyasha were no dream. They were too precious to be silly dreams!---
---"Tell me you're alive, Kagome!" he shouted. "This isn't real! I just know it! Tell me that you're still in Crystallia with me and this is just a nightmare!"---
---"This can't be happening! You promised me you'd be here! You promised me that you'd stay until we defeat Naraku! I know you're real, Inuyasha!"---
---"Get up Kagome! You can't leave me like this!" ---
---"Inuyasha! Rescue me like you always do, right NOW! Inuyasha!"---
---"You bitch! You're stronger than this! Kagome! You can't leave me, Kagome!"---
---"I know you won't abandon me, Inuyasha!"---
---"Fuck, I know you're alive! The one I'm holding is not the real you Kagome! I know it, I just know it!"---
---"I need you Inuyasha!"---
---"Kagome! I..."---
---"Inuyasha..."---
--- "I love you, you stupid bitch!" Inuyasha screamed in frantic rage, only to be shocked when Kagome's corpse suddenly opened her eyes and expelled a bright, blinding light from her blue/gray orbs. ---
--- "I LOVE YOU!" Kagome screamed, clenching her eyes in anxiety, before abruptly opening them as she felt the barriers around her collapse, shrouding her in sudden bright light. ---
-----/---@
"What such emotions?!" the earth youkai asked in a frenzy as she noticed that the bodies that lay before them had suddenly stopped releasing their orbs of power. Inuyasha had just started emitting waves of power a few minutes ago, and the power they had gathered was still not enough.
Both terrified youkai turned to look back at the prone forms, only to see that both were now emitting a strange aura around their bodies. The halos of light were slowly growing brighter, until the light just exploded outward, at the same time as two battle cries came simultaneously from both Kagome and Inuyasha.
"KAGOME!"
"INUYASHA!"
Both cried out, as if in answer to the other's call. The two youkai shielded their eyes as the light came out in fantastic waves before them, making them cringe in fright.
The pair opened their eyes slowly, lethargically, as they tried to asses their surroundings. Inuyasha could smell a familiar scent nearby, one that drove all fears and doubts away.
Kagome blinked the exhaustion from her eyes, but opened them wide when she sensed a clawed hand slowly clasp he own. She turned her head and smiled as she saw a pair of slitted golden eyes staring into her blue/gray ones.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered hoarsely. "You're here..."
Inuyasha smiled. "Of course I am," he replied, already starting to get up. He helped Kagome to her feet, noting the way she staggered when he helped her up. He turned to regard the two youkai who now stood about five meters away from them. He looked straight at the transparent youkai and glared.
"Teme... you're a dream youkai, aren't you? Bastard... How dare you fuck with our minds!" he shouted, knowing full well now that he had been dreaming. By the way Kagome looked, the same had happened to her.
He drew Tetsusaiga, the blade instantly transforming. He stood before Kagome, pointing the blade at the two antagonists, his fury coming out in waves. As he sized them up, he noticed a certain amount of youki gathering around him and his sword, surrounding them in a thick mist of power.
Inuyasha raised his sword as the two youkai started to flee. He was puzzled with the youki, especially when he noticed the gap in between the blades of wind. He was furious, and as if out of instinct, he took a mighty swing at the gap.
He hardly knew what had happened. One moment the youkai were fleeing, the second they had all but vanished under the force of his blow. He didn't think his sword even touched them. They just disappeared.
Puzzled, he sniffed the air and noted the scent of death. Yup, they were gone. How, he didn't know. He'll have to ask Miroku later.
"Inuyasha," a dry voice interrupted his musings. He turned to find Kagome, looking drained and exhausted. He then remembered that the youkai had originally come to them demanding their power. Maybe they managed to do that while they were out after all. Kagome certainly looked weak, and her knees were threatening to give out.
"That was incredible, Inuyasha. Arigatou," she smiled softly as she said that.
"It was nothing Kagome," he said, picking her up bridal style. She didn't even protest. She just settled herself in his arms and laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck for support.
"Actually, you were the one who helped me get out the dreamscape," he said softly, blushing as Kagome nuzzled his chest.
"I did?"
"Hai, you did," he replied, sighing in relief when he found a cave not far from them. They approached it in silence, and once there, he set Kagome down to lean against a large boulder as he took his haori off to lay it on the ground for Kagome to rest on. Once his haori was in place. He picked Kagome up again and laid her on it. He was startled when Kagome tried to sit up.
"Oi wench! You need to rest!" he objected, only to be stopped by Kagome's finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.
"Thank you... for everything. You helped me out the dreamscape too," she said with a smile, moving her hand from his lips to his cheek.
Inuyasha gulped. "Well... I guess we helped each other, ne?"
"Hai. We did."
Inuyasha reached out to hold the hand on his face and held it up to his lips, kissing it lightly. Kagome gasped softly at the contact, and he smiled as he looked into her startled eyes.
She was so beautiful... he couldn't resist... he leaned down slowly, closed his eyes and kissed her soft red lips.
Kagome's eyes opened wide at the move in surprise, but it took her less than a moment to respond. She kissed him back eagerly, her whole body tingling at the contact.
His mouth moved passionately over hers and he let his other hand move to hold the nape of her neck, desperately trying to pull her closer to him. He had never kissed anyone before... it was his first kiss.
Hesitantly, he licked her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She moaned as she complied, and Inuyasha eagerly dove into her sweet warm mouth.
Her taste... so sweet and innocent... he couldn't get enough of her. He explored every curve and crevice of her mouth and lips, but soon pulled away when he started to run out of breath.
Kagome's eyes were still closed as he pulled away, her breathing ragged and harsh, her lips swollen red. It took Inuyasha a moment to realize that he was panting hard as well.
Thinking about what he had done shocked him now that the kiss was over, but what's done is done, and he was in no way regretting it. He looked into storm-clouded orbs as Kagome opened her weary eyes, eyes that were tired but ablaze with passion.
He slowly pushed her back onto her 'bed', smiling as he said, "Sleep for now. You're tired." Kagome looked at him tiredly for a few moments, before nodding and closing her eyes. Her steady breathing told him that she was now asleep.
-----/---@
A/N: Well, how was that? Haha... it wasn't TOO cheesy, was it? Lots of email reviewers were asking me to make Inuyasha and Kagome admit their feelings, to themselves at the very least. So there. They did.
By the way, do you guys want shorter chaps or am I writing them in an ok length? I'd shorten my chaps if you want me to.
Well, here are my responses to all those wonderful people who reviewed on ff.net.
R.K.: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
Mikogurl: Sorry for the long update. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks!
A Friend: I hope this chap answered your questions. Thanks!
TheWraith: Wow... good guess then! I hope this chap cleared things up for you. Thanks for the review!
Justmeh: He will... eventually. Thanks!
Guesshoo: Yeah, it is a bit confusing... hehe... I'm glad you like it, thanks! I still think your signature is cool...
Litwolf689: *Looks at teary puppy eyes* Awe... how can I refuse?! I just read and reviewed your story. Great job, honestly! I hope this chap answered your questions. Thanks again for the review!
So, that's that! As I said in most of my responses, I hope this chap cleared things up for you guys. Chap 13 was quite confusing, I know. I actually confused myself. @_@
Anyway, reviews, comments, criticisms and the like are immensely welcomed and appreciated. Please review. *_*
Gotta go! Ja ne!
ScarletRaven1001
Anyway, you probably aren't interested in my woeful life encounters, so on with the story! All questions and stuff will be answered at my after-chap- author's note. Ja!
By the way, these symbols: ---text--- denote things that are happening simultaneously in different pov's/places. Please don't be confused.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nanimo, nada, wala, niente, NOTHING. Get it? I'm broke!
-----/---@
SEVEN WEEKS
The Cry of Lost Hearts
-----/---@
She froze. 'I'm back in the dome, as Azalea... but how?'
-----/---@
"Naraku, I do not know what you are trying to pull, and frankly I do not care, but for the sake of the gods, let me GO!" Azalea hissed, her bleeding hands soaking her white gown with crimson blood.
'Even if what he says is true, about Inuyasha being just a dream, I still have to try to get out!' Azalea thought. 'This can't be happening... it seems that my worst fears are reality, and not my wish to be free, fighting with the warrior. But, how could it be? Could all have been just a dream? Was Inuyasha just a dream? Gods, no!'
"Now, now, Azalea," Naraku said in his creaking voice. "I do not want you hurting yourself. I cannot see you through the barrier, but your blood's scent is overpowering. I will come back when you calm down."
She blanched. "Naraku! Get back here, ima sugu ni! Naraku! Let me go!" the princess screamed, hatred filling her voice. "Naraku! Teme... let me go!" she kept screaming until she saw his outline leave the room, closing the door and shrouding the dome in darkness.
"Naraku... onegai..." she pleaded softly, tears running down her cheeks. "Onegai..."
-----/---@
"NANI?!" Inuyasha hollered at his mother, his jaw dropping in shock.
"I said, go call your father down for breakfast, dear. He must be dreadfully hungry by now," his mother said calmly, despite his most violent outburst.
"Demo... okaasan... what the fuck are you talking about?! Oyaji died ten years ago!" he exclaimed. His mother's head snapped up sharply at his words.
"Inuyasha! Don't say such things! Don't you even think that!" she said in sharp surprise. Seshoumaru looked strangely at him.
"Have you finally lost your mind, brother? Father is fine, nowhere near death, I assure you. He just scolded and lectured me yesterday about the proper use of condoms." Sesshoumaru said with a scowl.
"Father is..." Inuyasha stuttered. Then something about what his brother said struck him. "Condoms? Why the fuck were you talking about condoms?"
"Use your nose, son," a deep voice said from behind him.
'Masaka...' Inuyasha thought as he slowly turned to the painfully familiar voice. He froze when his eyes met the warm amber eyes of his father, Inutaisho.
"Otou- otousan?" Inuyasha asked in a voice a little above a whisper. His father smiled at him as he approached the table.
"Why Inuyasha! You look like you've seen a ghost!" he said with a grin.
Inuyasha shocked the socks out of everyone as he lunged up suddenly and grabbed his father up into a large bear hug, small tears beginning to leak out of his eyes.
"Tousan, god dammit, you're fucking alive!" Inuyasha exclaimed, earning him a strange look from all three other members of his family. Inutaisho was looking at Sesshoumaru, who was shaking his head with wide eyes.
His mother then decided to stand and try to pry her son away from her husband before he could crush him and REALLY kill him. "Inuyasha? What's wrong?"
"I..." Inuyasha said with a small blush. "I thought father was... well, dead!"
"Now what made you think that?" Taisho asked as he sat down at the head of the table. Everyone was staring at Inuyasha now.
"I dunno... but... is this real? I thought you've been dead for ten years, dad!" Inuyasha exclaimed in plain confusion.
"That must have been some dream, then," Seshoumaru said wryly from his place across Inuyasha. Inuyasha just shook his head in disbelief.
'This is weird.' He thought, but shrugged it off. "Yeah... I guess..."
Inuyasha had just begun to dig in when he remembered his father's comment about using his nose... Seshoumaru and the condom issue too... he sniffed around and gasped in shock. "Oi, Fluffy!" he called, ignoring the threatening look his brother sent his way. "Why do you smell weird today? You smell like someone else!"
His brother's glare turned into an embarrassed frown at his observation. Taisho snorted in amusement at that.
"Your wonderful brother here," he started "Had just mated with his girlfriend last night. And they're not even married yet, for shame!"
"WHAT?!"
Three pairs of eyes turned to Sesshoumaru, who blushed. "Rin and I are of age, father. Besides, she AGREED to it. We are now engaged, after all."
Inuyasha stared. 'Oh yeah, Rin. That wench who was my brother's prom date in his senior year. They're engaged?'
All four had just started eating in silence when the doorbell rang. Inuyasha blanched and called up his human disguise on impulse, while Inutaisho did the same as he sniffed the air. The taiyoukai suddenly smiled in relief.
"Inuyasha, I believe that is for you," he noted. Sesshoumaru sniffed then grunted in agreement. Inuyasha looked at them in confusion before turning to the direction of the front door and sniffing.
He nearly fell off his chair at what he smelled. He sniffed the air again, not daring to believe it. His mother just grinned and stood up.
"If you won't open the door for her, I will. You're gonna tire out the young woman!"
"NO! I'll do it!" Inuyasha said as he rushed to the door, his heart beating painfully rapid in his chest. 'Gods, please let it be real!' he prayed silently as he ran up to the door and twisted the knob open.
Inuyasha's breath caught up in his throat as he stared at the apparition before him. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, be it in his dreams or in reality.
"Kagome," he breathed, staring at her. Her raven hair was pulled up in a neat half-ponytail, her blue/gray eyes sparkling with glee. She was wearing the usual high school uniform - a short, gray green sailor fuku.
"Ohayou, Inu-chan," she greeted, unwittingly triggering a long coughing fit from the hanyou. She looked at him in concern as she patted his back.
'Inu-chan?' Inuyasha thought as his coughs died out.
"Well, will you let me in anytime soon or do I have to wait for autumn?" Kagome asked with a small smile.
"Oh, yes, yes, come in!" Inuyasha said as he stepped back, still feeling confused. How was Kagome here? Wasn't she supposed to be in Crystallia? 'But then again,' he thought, 'Crystallia IS just a dream, right? But why is Kagome here?'
-----/---@
"So, what do you think? Will those two make it?" the earth youkai asked its companion, who just shrugged.
"I do not know," she stated, her luminous form floating about two prone figures. "This man, Inuyasha, is it? He is quite strong-willed. We will have trouble with him. His dreams come before his fears."
The earth youkai shook his head. "Your plan confuses me. Why don't we just kill them and get it over with?"
"Bakero. Because if we do that, we won't be able to suck their powers in! By letting them realize their deepest fears, they would slowly expel their powers and we can grab hold, as what is happening to Kagome. See?" she said, pointing to Kagome, who was expelling small balls of light from her body.
"I see," the earth youkai said. "Through feeding on their desperation, you can take advantage of them. Your being a dream youkai is quite an advantage in this!"
"Yes... but this warrior... the knight, as Naraku called him. He is very ambitious. His dreams then tend to come before his fears in his mind. Unlike the girl. She harbors deep fears on the fore of her mind. It would take a while before we can draw out Inuyasha's fears and powers," the misty dream youkai said.
"I do not care. We will take their powers, no matter how long it takes."
"Oh yeah? Well, might I remind you something? If these two have very strong emotions that persist within them, there is a chance that they just might wake up from this spell..."
The earth youkai looked astounded. "What kind of emotions?"
-----/---@
Sango couldn't stop the fear that was crawling through her skin. Something was terribly wrong, yet she knew that she couldn't do anything about whatever it was. Gods, she just knew something terrible was happening to Kagome... er... Azalea.
Kagome is Azalea's real given name. The name that her parents had given her upon her birth. The name that she had had to abandon when she became princess. And it was also the name that she had always asked Sango to call her, almost as if to serve as her reminder of her old life with her beloved family. The only family she had in the castle upon becoming princess was her elder brother Souta, but she was not even allowed to talk to him as a brother - only as a soldier. It had pained Kagome very much, ordering her brother around to dangerous missions, but it was his duty... one that her brother had most willingly taken.
She was not supposed to be called anything but Azalea, but being the only girl in the palace with whom she could share her woes with, Sango had reluctantly agreed, being the right hand and all. Friendship between princess and dame grew since then.
Since speaking with Miroku that morning, her worry suddenly grew. She had to find him. After all, HE always bothered her with his problems. It was time SHE bothered HIM.
-----/---@
"Houshi-sama!" Miroku perked up at that. Something was up, and he was half- expecting Sango to call up in a bit. How well he knew her!
"Sango-sama! Why were you calling for me?" he asked as he ran into her.
"Houshi-sama... Aza-chan is in danger. I mean, really in danger. I don't know how but... I can feel it! Her power is fluctuating horribly! Do you think that Naraku finally got his hands on the power of the Shikon?" she asked in one breath.
"Whoa. Slow down!" he said fondly. "First of all, I do not think that Naraku has the power. We would be dead by now if he did. Secondly, Azalea- sama may be having trouble, but I am sure that she can handle it. She is strong, Sango-sama. Thirdly... I think it is Inuyasha that we should be worried about. I can't feel his aura. It's almost as if he weren't here, but... I don't get it."
They stared at each other as both continued to desperately worry.
-----/---@
"Hey! Daijobu ka?"
Inuyasha stopped his steady strides to regard the girl who stood beside him. Kagome. She was smiling, as usual, but he knew something was wrong.
The day had been perfect, so far. He had woken to find himself home, his father was alive, he and Sesshoumaru got along fine, his mother was in perfect health, and Kagome... Well, he had concluded from the way his family smiled and looked at him and Kagome that she was actually his girlfriend.
'But that doesn't make sense!' he thought in disdain. How come he remembered everything differently?! Was all that he remembered a dream? Ten years worth of his memory was all a dream? He pinched himself discreetly as he looked at Kagome. It hurt. Shit.
"Inu-chan, you've been zoned out since this morning. Is something wrong?" she asked in concern, gripping his fingers tightly in her small hand.
Inuyasha shook his head and squeezed her fingers reassuringly. He still felt weird, but holding Kagome this way was just so... right... He decided to forget whatever was bothering him and concentrate on the day and their short trip to school.
"Ano... Kagome? Could you tell me... well... how did we meet?" he asked slowly, not knowing what to expect.
Kagome just looked at him. "Baka... after we got Naraku, remember? Azalea let you make a wish and you said you wanted your father back... and ME. So, I came back to your world with you."
"Nani?" he asked, confused as ever. He looked up to the skies in thought. 'We defeated Naraku? But... why don't I remember?'
A sharp gasp interrupted his musings and he looked down at Kagome just in time to see her falling forward. "Kagome!" he shouted in alarm as he caught her and stilled when he noticed blood on his hands. He looked at her in apprehension and saw to his horror that a sharp spear was wedged right in the middle of her abdomen, and her eyes were wide in pain, her mouth spewing blood.
"Kagome!" he shouted, laying her down on her side, not knowing what to do with the spear, he took a quick look around him to see who had shot her, but no one was there. Kagome took the spear in her hands and pulled the spear out, choking on her own blood as she did so.
She lay herself on her back and reached a hand up to cup his cheek. She pulled him down for a last, weak kiss, before going limp in his arms.
"No... hell no! Kagome!" he screamed in agony. "No! You can't leave me! No! God dammit, don't do this to me! Kagome!"
She remained still. He tried desperately to shake her awake, but all to no avail. She was dead. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he stood and started to run in a vain attempt to find anyone who could have possibly done that to Kagome. As he turned the corner though, his shock just grew.
There lay his father, probably in pretty much the same way he looked when he was killed ten years ago, lying in a pool of his own blood, eyes open and unseeing, a spear through his body. He screamed in rage and turned the next corner, only to have his breath catch. Everything around him was in flames. The houses, the school, everything... in ruins and flames.
He watched in stunned horror as everything in his world was destroyed in less than a heartbeat, when a familiar, vile scent intruded his senses.
"NARAKU!!!!"
-----/---@
She was feeling weaker... weaker than she ever remembered feeling. It was consuming her... but she could do nothing.
'How?' she thought. 'How could it all have been a dream? Gods, Inuyasha! It's impossible, but then... how could I be here if it wasn't?'
"Inuyasha..." she called in silent desperation, clasping her bleeding hands together in prayer. "Onegai... if you are anywhere out there... if you truly do exist... please, come to me! Inuyasha... I..."
A fresh torrent of tears escaped her eyes as she continued pleading. "Please, Inuyasha! Tell me that this is all a nightmare!"
-----/---@
---"Kagome! Tell me that this isn't real!" he shouted at the prone figure that he now cradled in his arms. His world was crumbling down... literally. He had nowhere to go, and for some reason, decided to go to Kagome, simply wishing to hold her prone form as everything had gone up into ashes.
"Kagome, open your eyes!"---
---"I know you're out there, god dammit! It can't have been all a dream Inuyasha!" she screamed, knowing somehow, how she did she didn't know, that her memories of Inuyasha were no dream. They were too precious to be silly dreams!---
---"Tell me you're alive, Kagome!" he shouted. "This isn't real! I just know it! Tell me that you're still in Crystallia with me and this is just a nightmare!"---
---"This can't be happening! You promised me you'd be here! You promised me that you'd stay until we defeat Naraku! I know you're real, Inuyasha!"---
---"Get up Kagome! You can't leave me like this!" ---
---"Inuyasha! Rescue me like you always do, right NOW! Inuyasha!"---
---"You bitch! You're stronger than this! Kagome! You can't leave me, Kagome!"---
---"I know you won't abandon me, Inuyasha!"---
---"Fuck, I know you're alive! The one I'm holding is not the real you Kagome! I know it, I just know it!"---
---"I need you Inuyasha!"---
---"Kagome! I..."---
---"Inuyasha..."---
--- "I love you, you stupid bitch!" Inuyasha screamed in frantic rage, only to be shocked when Kagome's corpse suddenly opened her eyes and expelled a bright, blinding light from her blue/gray orbs. ---
--- "I LOVE YOU!" Kagome screamed, clenching her eyes in anxiety, before abruptly opening them as she felt the barriers around her collapse, shrouding her in sudden bright light. ---
-----/---@
"What such emotions?!" the earth youkai asked in a frenzy as she noticed that the bodies that lay before them had suddenly stopped releasing their orbs of power. Inuyasha had just started emitting waves of power a few minutes ago, and the power they had gathered was still not enough.
Both terrified youkai turned to look back at the prone forms, only to see that both were now emitting a strange aura around their bodies. The halos of light were slowly growing brighter, until the light just exploded outward, at the same time as two battle cries came simultaneously from both Kagome and Inuyasha.
"KAGOME!"
"INUYASHA!"
Both cried out, as if in answer to the other's call. The two youkai shielded their eyes as the light came out in fantastic waves before them, making them cringe in fright.
The pair opened their eyes slowly, lethargically, as they tried to asses their surroundings. Inuyasha could smell a familiar scent nearby, one that drove all fears and doubts away.
Kagome blinked the exhaustion from her eyes, but opened them wide when she sensed a clawed hand slowly clasp he own. She turned her head and smiled as she saw a pair of slitted golden eyes staring into her blue/gray ones.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered hoarsely. "You're here..."
Inuyasha smiled. "Of course I am," he replied, already starting to get up. He helped Kagome to her feet, noting the way she staggered when he helped her up. He turned to regard the two youkai who now stood about five meters away from them. He looked straight at the transparent youkai and glared.
"Teme... you're a dream youkai, aren't you? Bastard... How dare you fuck with our minds!" he shouted, knowing full well now that he had been dreaming. By the way Kagome looked, the same had happened to her.
He drew Tetsusaiga, the blade instantly transforming. He stood before Kagome, pointing the blade at the two antagonists, his fury coming out in waves. As he sized them up, he noticed a certain amount of youki gathering around him and his sword, surrounding them in a thick mist of power.
Inuyasha raised his sword as the two youkai started to flee. He was puzzled with the youki, especially when he noticed the gap in between the blades of wind. He was furious, and as if out of instinct, he took a mighty swing at the gap.
He hardly knew what had happened. One moment the youkai were fleeing, the second they had all but vanished under the force of his blow. He didn't think his sword even touched them. They just disappeared.
Puzzled, he sniffed the air and noted the scent of death. Yup, they were gone. How, he didn't know. He'll have to ask Miroku later.
"Inuyasha," a dry voice interrupted his musings. He turned to find Kagome, looking drained and exhausted. He then remembered that the youkai had originally come to them demanding their power. Maybe they managed to do that while they were out after all. Kagome certainly looked weak, and her knees were threatening to give out.
"That was incredible, Inuyasha. Arigatou," she smiled softly as she said that.
"It was nothing Kagome," he said, picking her up bridal style. She didn't even protest. She just settled herself in his arms and laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck for support.
"Actually, you were the one who helped me get out the dreamscape," he said softly, blushing as Kagome nuzzled his chest.
"I did?"
"Hai, you did," he replied, sighing in relief when he found a cave not far from them. They approached it in silence, and once there, he set Kagome down to lean against a large boulder as he took his haori off to lay it on the ground for Kagome to rest on. Once his haori was in place. He picked Kagome up again and laid her on it. He was startled when Kagome tried to sit up.
"Oi wench! You need to rest!" he objected, only to be stopped by Kagome's finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.
"Thank you... for everything. You helped me out the dreamscape too," she said with a smile, moving her hand from his lips to his cheek.
Inuyasha gulped. "Well... I guess we helped each other, ne?"
"Hai. We did."
Inuyasha reached out to hold the hand on his face and held it up to his lips, kissing it lightly. Kagome gasped softly at the contact, and he smiled as he looked into her startled eyes.
She was so beautiful... he couldn't resist... he leaned down slowly, closed his eyes and kissed her soft red lips.
Kagome's eyes opened wide at the move in surprise, but it took her less than a moment to respond. She kissed him back eagerly, her whole body tingling at the contact.
His mouth moved passionately over hers and he let his other hand move to hold the nape of her neck, desperately trying to pull her closer to him. He had never kissed anyone before... it was his first kiss.
Hesitantly, he licked her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She moaned as she complied, and Inuyasha eagerly dove into her sweet warm mouth.
Her taste... so sweet and innocent... he couldn't get enough of her. He explored every curve and crevice of her mouth and lips, but soon pulled away when he started to run out of breath.
Kagome's eyes were still closed as he pulled away, her breathing ragged and harsh, her lips swollen red. It took Inuyasha a moment to realize that he was panting hard as well.
Thinking about what he had done shocked him now that the kiss was over, but what's done is done, and he was in no way regretting it. He looked into storm-clouded orbs as Kagome opened her weary eyes, eyes that were tired but ablaze with passion.
He slowly pushed her back onto her 'bed', smiling as he said, "Sleep for now. You're tired." Kagome looked at him tiredly for a few moments, before nodding and closing her eyes. Her steady breathing told him that she was now asleep.
-----/---@
A/N: Well, how was that? Haha... it wasn't TOO cheesy, was it? Lots of email reviewers were asking me to make Inuyasha and Kagome admit their feelings, to themselves at the very least. So there. They did.
By the way, do you guys want shorter chaps or am I writing them in an ok length? I'd shorten my chaps if you want me to.
Well, here are my responses to all those wonderful people who reviewed on ff.net.
R.K.: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
Mikogurl: Sorry for the long update. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks!
A Friend: I hope this chap answered your questions. Thanks!
TheWraith: Wow... good guess then! I hope this chap cleared things up for you. Thanks for the review!
Justmeh: He will... eventually. Thanks!
Guesshoo: Yeah, it is a bit confusing... hehe... I'm glad you like it, thanks! I still think your signature is cool...
Litwolf689: *Looks at teary puppy eyes* Awe... how can I refuse?! I just read and reviewed your story. Great job, honestly! I hope this chap answered your questions. Thanks again for the review!
So, that's that! As I said in most of my responses, I hope this chap cleared things up for you guys. Chap 13 was quite confusing, I know. I actually confused myself. @_@
Anyway, reviews, comments, criticisms and the like are immensely welcomed and appreciated. Please review. *_*
Gotta go! Ja ne!
ScarletRaven1001
