A Father's Embrace

Chapter Sixteen

Nightmare

Just as she was on the fringes of sleep, Maiki suddenly jerked back into consciousness. She grumbled in frustration and irritation at the fact that she had been unable to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time before something woke her up. She ground her teeth in dismay. A soft noise caught her attention. Well, to normal hearing, it was a soft noise. To Maiki, it was deafening, and it was coming from inside camp.

Maiki crawled to the door of the pup tent she was sharing with her mother. Pushing the flap open, she was met with almost complete darkness. The fire had burned down to small ambers and the moon was no more than a thin sliver in the sky. She reached into her bag that she had left sitting next to her tent before she retired for the night. She pulled a flashlight from the bag and clicked it on, shining it across the campsite. Whatever had been making the noise was gone. But Maiki did not fail to notice that the left-over fish from dinner had disappeared.

"Damn animals," she grumbled, clicking off her flashlight and retreating back into the tent. She settled herself back into her sleeping back, and slid her eyes shut. But sleep would not come, especially now that she was fully awake. "Stupid, dumb animals," she muttered again, blaming the nocturnal forest creatures for rousing her.

The soft rumbling of the nearby stream offered a soothing comfort, accompanied by the chirping of crickets. Maiki could feel her body start to relax once more. Her body sorely needed rest after the seven-hour hike from earlier in the day. Tomorrow, they'd probably walk for at least twelve hours. She desperately craved sleep. A hooting of an owl pierced her ears, causing her eyes to snap open once again. She ground her teeth with frustration.

How she hated these enhanced senses! Every sound invaded her mind, splitting her head. Every smell infiltrated her nose, burning her sinuses. The bright rays of the sun attacked her eyes, causing the golden pools to throb. She could feel every sensation as it brushed against her skin, from the cold tickle of the wind to the painful lumps of the ground now beneath her. Even her sense of taste had been effected, she noted. While eating dinner, she could distinctly taste the charred flavor from the fish. It wouldn't be soon enough before she got her hands on that mamori-ishi.

To the shibunyo's left, Kagome stirred in her sleep. Incoherent, painful moans escaped her lips. Maiki turned to face her mother, even though she could not see her in the dark. Unknowingly to the girl, her ears had swiveled forward, the radars pointed directly at her mother in concerned curiosity. Kagome slightly tossed in her sleep as her dreams played out inside her mind.

"In…sha…" the sleeping woman mumbled. "Wha… er… ing?" Unable to make out the words, Maiki could only helplessly listen.

Kagome stood in the doorway to her bedroom. No. Their bedroom. Her jaw fell at the sight she saw before her. In the bed, was her husband, Nanashi, and he was with another woman. The man seemed unfazed by the fact that his own wife had caught his adulterous deed. He calmly turned to face the shocked woman, a horribly bemused smile twisting his lips.

"Kagome. You aren't supposed to be home yet," he replied mockingly.

The woman behind him stirred, sitting up. "Nanashi, darling, who is that?"

Kagome's eyes snapped to the woman's face. Utter disgust and disbelief filled her soul. She was barely able to whisper the name belonging to the woman. "Kikyo?"

"Ah, so you two have met already?" chirped Nanashi. "How splendid!"

Kagome's eyes darted back to her husband with a pleading look as if to say "why?". But before he could explain, the image suddenly changed. Colors blurred and faded. The bedroom disappeared, replaced by a quiet forest. Kikyo's image disappeared as well. But Nanashi's form remained. However, it had shifted to take on the appearance of someone else…

"Inuyasha? What are you doing here?"

The hanyo glared at the miko, eyes filled with hatred. "You killed her."

Kagome gasped. "Killed who?"

"Who do you think?"

The girl's answer was silent confusion.

"Kikyo. You killed her."

The miko felt fear's icy grip take hold of her. "No! Inuyasha, I would never--!"

"Don't lie to me, wench! I know how you despised her… how you despised us."

"No," she whispered.

"Yes. You hated her for the fact that she and I were in love with each other. Are in love with each other. You were jealous because she had everything that you could only dream of having. She had strength. She had smarts. She had beauty. And most of all, she had me. But you couldn't handle that. You couldn't handle it because you have nothing. You are nothing. Did you really think that you meant anything to me? That if you got rid of Kikyo, I would give myself unconditionally to you? Well, you're wrong. You mean nothing to me. You never did. And because you killed her, I am going to kill you. I'll take back the jewel that you stole from her and I will bring her back. And while you rot in hell, she and I will be living together in bliss… for all eternity."

Tears streamed down Kagome's face. She was stunned, speechless. Was that how he had thought of her the entire time? He was right though. She was weak and helpless and she was jealous of Kikyo. Maybe she had killed her. She stared through tear-filled eyes as the hanyo approached her. His eyes revealed the single desire to rid the world of the pathetic girl from the future.

But as he got within arm's reach, the image shifted again. Silver hair bled away to ebony, golden eyes became burgundy. The forest around them disappeared into a black void. Through her tears, Kagome could not make out the identity of the person now standing before her. He slowly strolled behind her. Still tormented by Inuyasha's words, she did not move.

The person stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, pulling her against his chest. She blinked, the salty liquid falling from her eyes and dripping down her soft cheeks. Based on the person's height, she knew that the individual was male. She felt him nuzzle the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. He pulled her tighter to him, reveling in the feel of her body against his.

"Extraordinary," he whispered huskily into her ear.

She recognized that voice. Deep, sinister. But she couldn't place it. She knew she ought to be afraid of it, that she should run from it. She wracked her brain to try to place that voice with a name, but a hazy fog blanketed her mind. She could feel her senses dull, her pain ebb. The fear and trepidation towards this person subsided. She was under some sort of wonderfully intoxicating spell, and she did not care.

"Why do you torment yourself with him?" he cooed. "Why do you return to him time and time again only to have your heart torn in two? Why?"

"Because… I…" Her words were slurred under the effects of the spell.

"Because… why?"

"Because I…" She couldn't remember. She couldn't recall why it was that she always returned to him. To him. Who was 'him' exactly? Now that, too, was lost on her.

"You don't need him, miko. You never did. You are far better than he. He never appreciated you, always took you for granted. I, on the other hand, have always admired you. I've always… desired you."

His right hand slid up her abdomen, claiming her left breast with a tender squeeze. Influenced by the spell, she found the intimate touch arousing. Strangely, she welcomed it. He continued his soft words, his enticing voice.

"How it has tormented me to watch you suffer for so long. You must break free from him, miko. You must escape his clutches."

Kagome suddenly found herself being whirled around to face him. He held her tightly by the shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. She stared back into his, lost in his gaze. She knew his face, recognized it, just as she had recognized his voice. But again, she could not identify him. She was mystified and enthralled by his presence. He seemed so powerful, so strong. She felt safe with him, and trusted him, despite the flicker of doubt in the back of her mind which told her not to.

"He comes for you, miko. And when he does, you must kill him. Destroy him before he destroys you. And when you do, you and I shall finally be free. We'll be free, and nothing will ever come between us."

As he finished his speech, he slowly leaned towards her. His eyes locked with hers, trapping her eyes with his. She found herself holding her breath in an astonished awe. His lips were no more than a hair-width away when the image suddenly shattered into pieces…

"Mama! Mama, please! Please wake up, mama! Please!" the terrified girl pleaded, shaking her mother by the shoulders. Kagome suddenly jerked awake, taking in a deep gasp. "Oh thank the gods! Mama, you're okay!" Maiki sobbed with relief.

"Na-r-raku…" Kagome muttered, the word slurred from the effects of sleep. She rubbed her hands over her face, noticing the wetness that trailed from each eye.

"What did you say, mama?"

"Huh? What... did... what I said?"

If there had been enough light to see, then Maiki would have seen that Kagome's confused expression matched her own. "Naraku. You said 'Naraku'."

"Naraku?" the mother repeated in bewilderment and uncertainty. "When did I say that?"

"Just now. After I woke you. You were having a dream, a bad one. But all of a sudden, I noticed that I couldn't hear you breathing anymore. And I got scared, so I tried to wake you. But it was like you were in a coma… you wouldn't wake up. I had been shaking you for nearly five minutes. But thank the gods you finally snapped out of it and woke up. And that's when you said 'Naraku'. Was that what the dream was about? That Naraku guy? Was he hurting you in your dream?"

Kagome rubbed her temple that suddenly seemed to throb. She tried to recall her dream, any trace of the visions she had had. But there was nothing. Everything she had seen was gone. She gave up trying to search the recesses of her mind, barely noticing that the throbbing of her temple had faded as she had done so.

"I don't know. I can't remember."

"None of it?"

"No. Nothing," she affirmed. "It must've been nothing, if I can't recall any of it."

Maiki looked at her skeptically. "Mama, you can't tell me that it was nothing. You were crying in your sleep. I could smell your tears. And to stop breathing like that… Something must've really bothered you…"

"Well, I can't remember it now, so it doesn't matter," she stated with an unintentionally flat tone. She realized too late how curt she had just been with her daughter, who was only concerned for her. For less than a second, she pondered where the source of her hostility had originated from. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoke like that to anybody.

Though her mother couldn't see her do so, Maiki narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Fine. Whatever," she snapped scornfully, as she turned away from her mother, settling back down into her sleeping bag. "It's not like I didn't save your life or anything…"

Guilt instantly panged Kagome. She slid closer to her daughter, placing her left hand on her daughter's left shoulder. "Maiki, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to speak to you like that. I know you were just worried. Please forgive me."

Maiki humph'd. "Fine, I forgive you," came her short, muffled reply, followed by silence.

Kagome sighed. She knew that she wasn't going to get anything more out of her daughter. She laid herself back down, eyes still fixated towards her daughter. The harshness of Maiki's voice was a clear indication that she was still hurt by her mother's actions. But Kagome knew, that if her daughter hadn't meant it, she wouldn't have said that she was forgiven.

"Thank you, Maiki… for saving me from my nightmare."

The shibunyo didn't respond. Listening carefully, Kagome could hear the deep, steady breathing of her daughter. Finally, Maiki had found sleep. With a giant yawn, Kagome turned away from the teenager, and returned to the world of slumber.