Author's Notes: Wow, this story has gotten a really positive response, thanks so much, everyone. It makes me feel really good. And in case any of you are wondering why I'm updating this story and not my other two, it's because yesterday I had shoulder surgery, and I can't type very well, and I already had this chapter typed up. So don't worry, the other two will be updated shortly. That's all I've got to say for now. Enjoy chapter two!
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Title: Impossible Dreams
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Two
Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
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The quarters provided for the slaves were just as marginal as he'd ever seen, and Inuyasha felt the urge to punch something as he settled in for yet another night on a broken down, rock hard cot pushed up against a creaky wall, so unstable he was sure at any moment it would just collapse all together.
Each hut consisted of four simple walls that were thin enough to allow every noise from the raging storm to pass through as though there were no shelter at all, a small hearth without a fire was in the corner, and four cots provided for each slave pushed up against each wall. The hanyou was anything but thrilled about meeting his newest bunkmates (how many people had he met in the past seven years?), but at the same time knew it was his best chance to plant the seed of revolt among the slaves of this particular home.
So he would tolerate them, expecting that they would be just as ridiculously obedient as every other slave he'd ever met; quiet and reserved, and without any sort of will to do anything beyond what their master commanded. Keh…the fools. He'd soon change that, or die trying.
Inuyasha and Miroku had barely settled in, each on one of the empty cots and desperately trying to get comfortable, when the flap that was supposed to be a door was pushed aside and two people walked in, only looking mildly surprised to see two strangers in their hut. Initially Inuyasha just ignored them as he instead chose to run his fingers gently over his scarred wrists, seeing that he had been right in his suspicions that the skin would be blotched, bruised, and scabbed for a long time.
Finally, when he heard Miroku cough lightly to try and get his attention, the hanyou decided to at least try and be tolerably social as he raised his eyes to greet his bunkmates.
They were both demons, made obvious by their non-human features and the fact that they both wore black diamonds. One appeared to be a young man about the same age as he and Miroku, with long, athletic legs and a ponytail pulled back by a headband of what looked like animal hide. His ears were pointed, and the tail of a wolf extended behind him.
Inuyasha groaned. All he needed was a wolf in his hut. They were known to be stubborn, arrogant, and very loud in their opinions. Just what he didn't need.
He had to physically crane his neck down to see the other slave, who looked to be nothing more than a little boy in black pants and a surprisingly clean green shirt. He wondered how the kid kept his clothes looking so nice as he noticed the pointed ears, flaming red hair, and bushy tail that marked him as a fox demon.
They weren't his favorite kind of demon either, though more tolerable than the wolves, to be sure. Mostly he just didn't like the fact that foxes were crafty, sneaky, and always playing tricks. He hoped this kid didn't get any weird ideas in his head.
"So you're the new arrivals Myouga mentioned were coming," the young wolf man said, his voice not unkind, but not exactly welcoming either. He placed his strong hands solidly on his hips, planting his feet in an open, firm stance as his chin went up proudly. "Who are you then?"
The hanyou grunted at the obvious attempt to assert authority. He wouldn't fall for that, and kept this voice neutral. "My name is Inuyasha, and this is Miroku."
The man shifted his clear blue eyes in the direction of Miroku momentarily before nodding, indicating his recognition of them both. "My name's Kouga, and this is Shippou." He paused and sniffed the air before smirking slightly. "You're a hanyou, aren't you?"
Inuyasha tensed at the way he said hanyou. He'd known it was coming eventually. Diamond shards or not, wolf demons still had a better sense of smell than most. But it was still a sore subject.
"So what if I am?" He challenged sharply.
Kouga just shrugged, his smirk still in place, and glanced at Miroku with another sniff. "You're human enough."
"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment since I'm not in the mood to deal with an insult," Miroku replied in his usual kind voice. He always did get along with others much easier than Inuyasha. "Though I will insist that I'm not entirely helpless. I was training to be a monk before Naraku came, and learned much about taming and wielding spiritual powers." He grinned. "And since I appear to be the only human in this room, I'm telling you that so no one gets the idea that they can just pick on the poor guy with no super strength."
Kouga chuckled lightly at that, clearly already warming to Miroku, like most people did. He was nearly impossible to dislike, Inuyasha had decided, since he rarely created any enemies or rivals.
Still feeling slightly unsettled though by the wolf's blatant comment about his mixed blood, Inuyasha felt the need to assert his own intelligence as he locked gazes with the other man. "You're a wolf demon, I take it?"
Kouga raised an eyebrow before smirking. "Well, I guess the mutt has a brain after all." Inuyasha growled, and the other man just laughed lightly before sobering and nodding his head. "Yes, I'm a wolf demon. In fact, I was once prince of the wolf tribes, before Naraku attacked us. He massacred nearly my entire pack, and those of us who survived were caught and made slaves with these damnable jewels."
Inuyasha nodded, hearing a story that had become familiar. It changed slightly with each person he talked to, but generally speaking, everyone had the same story. They had lived normal lives, they were princes, and they were noblemen, before Naraku came. And then it all changed. Humans didn't stand a chance, and demons were forced into submission with the black diamonds, so full of negative energy that only someone with a pure heart could remove them. As of yet, Inuyasha had not met someone like that, and he figured it was unlikely he ever would.
"And what kind of demon are you?" Inuyasha asked, indicating the boy with a shrug of his shoulder even though he already knew the answer.
The boy, called Shippou, puffed out his chest slightly in a way that made Inuyasha almost want to smile. He wasn't exactly fond of children, but at the same time he always admired the fact that they seemed to have more courage and fortitude than most adults. "I'm a fox demon. My parents were killed while I was away one day, and I was just picked up off the road."
"And how old are you, kid?"
"I'm no kid!" The boy did nothing for his argument by allowing his voice to rise into a high falsetto in his anger. "I'm a man by now; I'm almost ten years old!" He tapped his chest twice to accent his point.
"Keh, ten is still young," Inuyasha replied gruffly, succeeding in making Shippou look like an infuriated little ball of red fur.
Miroku, used to the way Inuyasha interacted with people, simply sighed and turned over to lie on his back, closing his eyes and simply listening to the sound of the rainstorm assaulting the ramshackle roof of the hut, the sound somewhat soothing, as he spoke. "So how long have you two been here then?"
Kouga opened his mouth to reply when he was interrupted by the sound of a gentle knock on one of the walls by the door. He turned and sniffed the air once before nodding, and Inuyasha caught a scent that was distinctly female as the wolf demon told the visitor to come in.
A young woman appeared, clutching a small towel to her waist to protect it from the rain. Her face was round and kind, her figure shapely and accented by a dress of pastel colors, and she had long brown hair that fell clear to her waist. As though sensing the presence of a woman, Miroku opened his eyes and sat up straight, managing simply to gawk in a very rude manner, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his stupid behavior.
"Sango," Kouga referred to the woman by her first name, showing they were friends, almost the moment she entered the hut. Placing a hand on her arm, his eyes narrowed in concern. "What are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to be out here unless instructed to."
The young woman looked down, obviously a little nervous, before returning her chocolate eyes to the wolf man. "I was instructed to, just not by the master," she whispered, and held out the towel, which Inuyasha could now clearly see held something.
"What is it?" Kouga asked as he sniffed and took the towel from the woman, motioning for her to sit down on one of the empty cots.
Nodding towards the towel before sighing with an unbidden amount of fatigue, the woman gratefully sat down, the cot squeaking and groaning under her weight. "Bread from the kitchen, freshly baked. Kagome wanted Shippou to have something extra besides what was provided for dinner."
The kitsune jumped up in excitement, his eyes practically glowing with delight. "It's a present from Kagome? Oh, she always sends me food!" He scrambled over and took the small towel, unrolling it to find several small rolls tucked away, and immediately stuffed one into his mouth before handing another to Kouga, who smiled and accepted the offer.
"Thanks kid," he said kindly before turning back to look at Sango. "Kagome really shouldn't keep doing this. She could get into so much trouble."
"She doesn't care," Sango replied, recalling her conversation from earlier with her friend. "In fact, she plans to come down here herself more often."
Kouga opened his eyes wide in surprise. "What? How could she possibly pull that off? Her father would suspect her of something!" There was actual concern in his voice, and Inuyasha found his interest was piqued, albeit slightly.
"But what's the worst he can do to her?" Sango retorted. "He wouldn't enslave his own daughter."
"Hn, I wouldn't put it passed that bastard," Kouga retorted, crossing his arms. "And the last thing we need is someone like Kagome suffering."
They would have continued arguing had it not been for Inuyasha clearing his throat, causing Sango to notice both he and the gawking man with black hair for the first time. She met the man's eyes and blushed as she recognized the desire in their dark depths. It wasn't the first time a man had looked at her like that, and yet, for some reason, it was the first time she'd actually blushed and felt her own gut react.
"Are these the new arrivals?" she asked, forcefully looking away as Kouga nodded. She smiled in welcome. "I guess it's not exactly a happy occasion to be brought here, but all the same, welcome."
Inuyasha grunted. "Keh, save your breath woman, I don't intend to stay here long."
Blinking in surprise, Sango found herself slightly taken aback. She'd though she had sounded nice. "Why is that? Do you know how to escape?" She couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice. "Do tell, if you do."
The hanyou stretched his neck, deciding not to go into detail yet about his plans to start a revolt. And besides, the way she was looking at and speaking to him, as though she thought him ridiculous, meant he wasn't inclined to include her in his plans ever. Women were all so complicated.
"It's not an escape plan, per say…I just don't plan on staying very long."
Sango shrugged. "Whatever you say." She suddenly seemed to think of something as she recalled Kagome's upset from earlier, and the silver-haired man and his currently careless and cold attitude. "Are you the one who upset Kagome so much earlier this evening?"
"I don't know a Kagome," Inuyasha replied in a voice that said 'I-don't-care', though the name did sound vaguely familiar. And he had no doubt he had offended her, whoever she was…he offended everyone just by being in a room.
Sango felt her suspicions confirmed, and pressed the matter a little further for her friend's sake. Kagome had been so upset, and disturbed. "Then do you at least remember a girl who offered you food and an evening in the mansion to dry off and warm up?"
The image of that girl in the dark blue dress with her long ebony hair and dark eyes came to mind, and Inuyasha groaned. "You mean the bitch who offered me her pity? Why the hell should I care if I offended her?"
Suddenly a half-eaten roll connected with his head, and Inuyasha glanced down to see a fuming Shippou. "Don't call Kagome a bitch, baka! She's the kindest person I know!"
"Keh, she's not much of a kind person if she owns slaves and has pledged her loyalty to Naraku, kid." He was trying desperately not to be at all disturbed by the way Shippou was looking at him…as though he were the meanest creature on the face of the earth.
"Her father pledged his loyalty when she was only nine years old, and ever since she's been stuck in a situation she has no control over," Sango replied, somewhat irritated. Obviously this was the man. He was certainly rude enough.
"Say what you want," Inuyasha spat back, ignoring the woman's icy stare, "But I know that anyone who is not a slave is arrogant and selfish and only interested in saving their own hides."
Sango shook her head as she rose to her feet, not in the mood to hear her best friend badgered and insulted in such a way. "And if you really believe that, then there is no hope of you surviving this world." She pinned Inuyasha with a harsh glare. "I suggest you take your allies where you can get them."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Her eyes were actually kind of frightening if he chose to think about it.
"Just that I think you'll find Kagome's presence here a blessing."
Kouga nodded. "It's true; she always keeps her father from being too harsh with the slaves when she's around. Granted, Mr. Higurashi keeps his daughter practically locked up in that mansion most of the time, not wanting her to interfere, but she still does her best to help when she can. Like with Shippou."
"She's the reason I'm here," the kitsune piped up with a happy nod.
"Oh lucky you," Inuyasha grumbled, but everyone ignored him.
"What do you mean by that, Shippou?" It was Miroku who spoke, for the first time since Sango had arrived. She found his voice pleasantly…attractive.
The kitsune frowned and played with another roll, picking off pieces and rolling them between his fingers. "I was going to be sent to one of those mines where they need little kids, but Kagome saw me passing by and saved me by offering a lot of money to the guy taking me to the mine. He wasn't going to give me up, but she payed him more than twice what the miners had bought me for, so the guy selfishly gave me up." He beamed. "She saved my life."
"She did the same for me," Sango added, recalling the way Kagome had thrown herself at her father's feet and begged him to give her the money needed to save Sango.
Still, inspite of their soft looks and loving voices, Inuyasha closed his ears to what he was hearing. It just wasn't possible for someone like her to be kind. He'd learned to not trust people over the past seven years, and he had no intention of breaking that habit now, just because a few wimpy demons and a woman said so. He would still proceed with his plan, and Kagome would fall along with her father.
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The thunderstorm passed in the middle of the night, and the rains cleared by early the next morning, leaving behind a shockingly fresh, clean scent in the air, the earth refreshed and replenished as it dried in the sun that appeared through the clouds around midday. Not wanting to miss the potential for profit, Mr. Higurashi ordered all the slaves out to work in the fields as soon as it was determined the ground wasn't too muddy, sowing and harvesting all kinds of crops from rice to wheat and barley.
It was hard work, but everyone was at least grateful for the beautiful day after such a horrendous night.
Like all plantations, Inuyasha and Miroku quickly learned that being new did not spare you from taking part in the work as they were ushered out of their huts early in the morning after they'd finished a meager breakfast. In fact, one could argue they were given the hardest task of all: taking a hoe to the dirt to prepare it for the seeds that would follow.
They all worked alone, in silence, the only noises being that of the tools turning over the dirt, and even though they were surrounded by dozens of other slaves taking water back and forth or planting seeds, no one spoke, and everyone felt very isolated. But feeling isolated was better than being whipped for speaking.
His body had long ago become accustomed to hard work, and Inuyasha attacked his assigned task with a passion, using it as a means of getting rid of his excess frustration. He was so tired of doing what others told him to, knowing he was considered no better than property. It was no way for a prince to live. It was no way for anyone to live.
Grunting, he imagined that in the dirt he could see Naraku's face, and each time he brought the hoe down he felt a slight tingle down his spine. Some day soon, he promised, it would all be over.
About halfway through the day Inuyasha began hearing the people around him murmur excitedly about something, and the hanyou couldn't help but stop what he was doing to look around and see what was going on. A growl in his stomach had him hoping that lunch was being brought out early.
Reaching out, he grabbed the arm of a young man toting a bucket of water with the ladle of a gourd protruding from one side. He stopped and nervously looked up, as though expecting to be punished for momentarily halting his duties.
Inuyasha ignored the look and nodded towards a group of muttering slaves to his right. "What's up?"
The young man lost his nervous expresson and instead began to look very excited. "Miss Kagome is here, with water and food for everyone almost two hours earlier than we usually get our lunch. She's coming around to give us all our fair share."
"Keh," Inuyasha grunted. Did everyone worship this woman, or what? They treated her like she was some kind of savior, when in fact she was the daughter of the very man who enslaved them!
Well, he decided, at least he'd eventually be getting some food out of the situation, like he'd originally hoped.
Inuyasha released the man's arm and went back to working, ignoring the fact that everyone, including Miroku, had stopped what they were doing for a few minutes to go and get their water and food. Ignoring his own growling stomach, he hacked even more fiercely at the dirt, wishing he could be anywhere but where he was.
He knew if he didn't go get food, Kagome may very likely pass him by. He knew that it would be a great inconvenience for some other slave to bring him his food if she did remember him. But Inuyasha refused to go groveling to the young woman everyone else was so enamored with. She was a slave master's daughter, nothing more, and he was determined to hate her as much as he'd hated every other spoiled woman and man that had betrayed their countrymen for the easy road in life.
So what if everyone else thought he was being stubborn and difficult? He frankly didn't give a damn…he never had.
After a while of working in silence, completely alone as all the other slaves were no doubt off enjoying their afternoon meal, Inuyasha's sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching him, and his nose was filled with the scent of vanilla and spice. No slave could smell like that, which could mean only one thing…
"Would you like some food?"
He groaned in annoyance at the familiar feminine voice, recognizing it as the one belonging to the woman they called Kagome. Not even bothering to stop what he was doing, he shrugged his shoulders. "If I had wanted anything, I would have gone to get it myself."
He heard her feet as she scuffed her toes in the dirt. "Oh…well I just thought that maybe you didn't know there was food and water." There was hope in her voice, something Inuyasha had no patience for. He wasn't interested in being friends with this woman, and the sooner she understood that, the better off they would both be.
"Keh, what do you think I am, stupid?" His voice was harsh and purposefully cruel. "I could smell the food long before any of these idiots knew you were coming, woman. I just don't want anything."
There was a long silence that followed, but Inuyasha knew she was still there because he hadn't heard her walk away. She was certainly persistent; he had to admit that. With a sigh of frustration, he slammed the hoe into the dirt and whirled around, his silver hair flying and his amber eyes fuming.
"What do you want, wench?" He said it before he could stop himself, and it was only after the words left his mouth that he really saw her, standing there in a simple mint green gown, her hands holding a small pitcher of water and a plate displaying a generous helping of meat and bread. Her eyes were wide with surprise at his outburst, giving him a better look at their innocent, doe-like appearance, and Inuyasha couldn't help but notice their gleam of intelligence. Her ebony hair was pulled back in a ponytail, giving him a clear view of her face, which was shaped something like a heart, and her full lips were currently pursed in a frown.
Damn it, he swore inwardly even as he had to admit that she was rather beautiful. Probably one of the more beautiful women he had ever seen in his life.
"Why do you hate me so much?" she asked finally in a simple tone, though Inuyasha could smell her nervousness and hear the slight waver in her voice.
"Keh, why do you think, wench?" He was honestly getting a little unnerved by the fact that she wasn't averting her eyes like most women (and men, for that matter) did after he gave them one of his trademark glares.
She just shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."
"That I find hard to believe, unless there really is just air between your ears, like most women I know."
Her eyes hardened at that, and Inuyasha saw a flicker of the fire he had witnessed the night before when she had snapped at her father. "I'm not stupid," she hissed. "In fact it's because I'm not a fool that I don't understand. All I've done is try to help you and you act like I'm no better than my father."
"Because you aren't!" He snapped back, but she didn't even flinch at his temper, which surprised him.
"Assume what you want about me," she stated plainly, her voice as hard and cold as ice, the warmth and hope from earlier completely gone. "But just remember that you're not the only one who has suffered since Naraku took over."
"Keh, and what is that supposed to mean?" He hadn't meant to ask the question, but Inuyasha found himself suddenly intrigued by what she meant. The gods only knew why.
She blinked several times, clearly surprised he'd even bothered to show an interest in their conversation, but finally shook her head. "That's for me to know. I don't know you well enough to tell you anything."
That fueled his already boiling anger. Where did she get off preaching about pain and suffering, and then give him a response like that when he asked what she meant? "You are a spoiled little brat, you know that? And you know nothing about anything! You're no different than any of the other women I've met!"
"Well that's probably the most intelligent thing you've said since I met you," she replied, and he growled in response. "Or at least, it's certainly the most you've said." She just ignored his growling and set the food and water on the ground, to which he raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
"Leaving this for you. You'll be hungry eventually." She rose back up to her full height, though the top of her head barely reached his shoulders, and stared at him for a few seconds before turning around.
"I told you I didn't want this, wench!" He hollered after her, feeling very unsettled and not liking the feeing one bit.
She stopped momentarily and glanced over her shoulder, her expression neutral. "And as you can see, I don't give a damn what you said."
That left him speechless. Not only was he used to women cowering in fear at his temper, but he had also never heard a young woman of her standing curse before. It was, actually, kind of refreshing. He shook his head violently to clear it of the thought. Kagome Higurashi was not refreshing; she was annoying and self-centered, just like every other woman he had ever worked for in the past seven years. She didn't care about anyone but herself, and she was loyal to Naraku.
"How about I just kick this pitcher over? Then you're precious water will go to waste!"
Kagome turned back around and looked at him as though he were a complete idiot, which made him feel very uncomfortable. "It's your loss," she finally stated with a shrug of her shoulders.
Inuyasha was feeling more and more exasperated. Why wasn't she screaming and yelling like most women did? Why wasn't she acting like normal people? Why was she making him feel so…uncomfortable? "Keh," he finally replied for lack of anything better to say, and she smiled haughtily.
"Yes, you've said that already."
He growled again. "What did you say, bitch?"
"Hey!" Her eyes flared again, and she turned around and stomped back in his direction, instantly closing the gap so that she was standing right in front of him. "The name's Kagome."
"I'll call you whatever I want, wench!"
She narrowed her eyes and grabbed onto several locks of his silver hair, pulling him close. He nearly howled in pain, but she didn't seem to care at all.
"The name's Kagome," she hissed dangerously, "Not bitch, not wench, and not woman. Got it?"
"Whatever," he grumbled back, but she just pulled harder, and he winced.
"I've lived with my father long enough that your temper and your growling and your glares don't intimidate me in the least. Now say it with me: K-a-g-o-m-e."
They glared at each other for a few seconds, amber meeting dark brown, before Inuyasha finally relented and whispered, "Fine…Kagome."
She released his hair and proceeded to poke him in the chest. "That's right, and don't you forget it."
In the process of poking him, her fingers grazed the black diamond on his chest, and for an instant the jewel crackled with white hot negative energy, before calming down. They both stared at it for a moment before Kagome just shrugged her shoulders and turned around, walking away.
"Eat the food," she called over her shoulder, "Or give it to someone else, I don't care. Just don't let it go to waste."
And then she was gone, but Inuyasha stared after her for several minutes, glancing from the direction she had disappeared to the jewel, and back again. What had just happened? When she had touched it, for a brief instant Inuyasha had felt free like he hadn't felt since before Naraku had enslaved him seven years ago. What had she just done?
Turning around, he picked up the hoe once more, and was shocked at how light it felt. Taking a few practice swings, the hanyou suddenly found himself pounding the tool nearly a foot into the ground with each stroke, and had to back off somewhat to finish the job without ruining the dirt.
Blinking in shock, he just stared at the ground for several minutes, unsure of what do to, and trying to decide if any of it was really happening, or if it was all in his head. It couldn't be, he insisted to himself, and yet there was no denying the fact that he felt like he had some of his old demon-like strength back. Not all of it, but some.
Glancing down at the jewel around his neck, he saw the very tip flicker pink for an instant, and that was when he realized what had happened. His jaw nearly dropped to the ground, and he once again looked up to where Kagome had been standing, now only the food present as a reminder of what she had done.
Kagome Higurashi, in the second when she'd touched it, had started to purify the black magic within the diamond shard.
"I suggest you take your allies where you can find them."
Sango's words from the night before returned to play over and over in his mind, and Inuyasha furrowed his brow in concentration, trying to block out what his logic was telling him to be true. If Kagome Higurashi could purify the black diamond around his neck, then she had the purest soul of anyone he had ever met, which meant she couldn't be a cruel slave owner like he had so ardently believed.
But then again that would mean that she was his friend, and he simply refused to believe that.
"Keh," he grunted, picking up the hoe again and feeling the jewel starting to take over once more, his super strength vaporizing into thin air. And as his strength vanished, his anger returned, reminding him of how much he hated his life.
Kagome was no ally of his; she was the enemy. Inuyasha smacked the earth again with his hoe and grunted. He just had to keep telling himself that so he would continue to believe it.
