Author's Notes: Hey everybody, how's it feel being back in school? I know I'm having to adjust a little, because I'm not only balancing three AP classes but I'm also having to do everything that goes along with college applications, including visitations and making a CD for scholarships for my voice. Needless to say I've got a lot going on right now, and it won't be slowing down or stopping until mid-December...but that doesn't mean I'll stop writing. Frankly, the writing helps me to mellow out a little.
On that note, sorry it took a while to get this chapter out, but I was working on the final chapters for my other story, and then have also been putting together the first several chapters for my next story, which will be making its debut in the next few days. That having been said, I think at this point this story should have more of a frequent update system from now on. I know, I know, I keep saying that, but I really mean it this time. I've got the next several chapters planned out, so my mind is on 'Impossible Dreams' mode, you might say.
Several of you have asked me questions regarding Kagura and Kanna and how they tie in with Naraku, so I'll just answer your questions for everyone, rather then individually in reviewer responses. In this story Naraku does not hold Kagura's heart, she is actually quite free to come and go as she pleases. The catch is that Naraku holds the soul of her sister within Kanna's mirror, and if the mirror breaks then Kanna will die. In this story Kagura really does love Kanna like an older sister, and so she stays with Naraku to keep Kanna alive. The mirror itself will have some of the characteristics that it has in the anime, like it can suck in souls, but it's not quite the same. I have it that Kanna's soul is tied to the mirror, and I haven't figured out yet how exactly she can be freed. But rest assured I'll think of something! I hope that answers your questions.
In this chapter we'll finally meet up with one of our favorite characters and get a little look into what he's been up to while Inuyasha has been unintentionally leading the revolt. For the most part this chapter is more of a filler, but I've been told by several of you that you don't mind, so I hope that remains the case this time. I'm continuing to open up several doors for plot options, so obviously this story will be somewhat longer then my other ones. Be patient, more action is coming. Thanks for your support, and enjoy chapter thirteen!
Title: Impossible Dreams
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Thirteen
Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.
The winds had picked up again at the small slave plantation, as though the gods themselves meant to stretch out their hands and knock it down to the ground. It wasn't too large, like it could have been, the mansion only two stories high and sitting on about half an acre, the surrounding farmland barely ten acres in size, but it was big enough...after all, any place that required the workmanship of slaves was too big already.
People were running about, desperately trying to get indoors before they were blown over, some of the younger men forced to muscle the larger farm animals into the barns to keep them from running away out of fright so that, within thirty minutes, everything seemed deserted. Save for one man...
As the elder son of Inutaisho, Sesshoumaru was proud, and always had been. It didn't matter that he had been humiliated and cast into slavery when he was only seventeen, nor that he had spent the past seven years of his life doing the bidding of others. No...Sesshoumaru was proud, and he knew that some day he would have his revenge for what was done to him.
He had no friends, or rather, he had no supporters, save for a little green creature by the name of Jaken who had taken to following him everywhere after Sesshoumaru had pulled him out of a well once during his first few days at the plantation. But that didn't matter. He was a prince, and the heir to the throne of the Western Lands...he cared not who liked him and who didn't. All that mattered, all that ever mattered when it came to men, was whether or not one had their respect, and he certainly had enough of that to last an entire demon lifetime.
At the moment he stood on a small rise, gazing out at the hills and valleys that made up the surrounding area of his temporary home, the mansion of his master behind him. His back was rigid, his shoulders squared, and his legs firmly planted as he met the fierce wind head on, almost as though he would challenge it to knock him to the ground.
His face was long and lean and handsome, his eyes amber, and his hair silver, falling nearly to the ground as it blew about wildly. But, like its silver color, Sesshoumaru was a man of ice, with no warmth or kindness in his expression. Not that he'd ever been one who was inclined toward sentimentality, but now it was ten times worse then before, as though all possibility for mercy had been squeezed out of him by the cruel grip of his masters, of which he'd had many.
The first had only stayed for a few months before losing his nerve and leaving the plantation without a fuss, but the second, Bankotsu, had stayed for a long time, forcing his cruelty onto the slaves as though it were nothing more then a sport. Sesshoumaru had been able to stand it alone, but when Bankotsu had started to pick on a young girl he had lost his nerve and, in a moment of weakness, attacked. He had lost his left arm in that fight, but had succeeded in killing his haughty master so that, in the end, the girl was sent away to another plantation and Sesshoumaru had been placed under careful watch. That had been the last time he came to the aid of anyone, human or demon. Now he just watched out for himself and his interests.
"Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru!" A squeaky voice blew past him on the wind, and he mentally cursed the fact that he could not hear like he once could, though no one would have known his inner turmoil by the blank expression on his face.
Turning slowly, the proud demon lord watched as Jaken stumbled in his direction, falling to the ground more then once as the wind blew him over. "What is it Jaken?" He finally asked when the green man was at his side and breathing heavily from the exertion.
"Master, you should come inside," he stammered, "This is no weather to be in the middle of." Sesshoumaru chose not to respond, and so Jaken continued. "B-besides, I have started a fire in our hut, so you'll be very comfortable." Still Sesshoumaru did not move or speak, and so his servant gave up and chose to remain silent as well.
For several minutes they did not make a sound, although Jaken was having a hard time staying in one place, before Sesshoumaru finally sent a sharp, penetrating glance down on top of his green head. "Jaken..."
"Yes, master?"
"Have you heard any more news of the uprising?"
Starting to shiver from the cold, Jaken shook his head. "No master, nothing. I think that Naraku is making sure news does not travel as easily any more."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Naraku..." The very name was like poison in his mouth, and brought back images of a man clothed in a baboon suit, his smirking mouth the only thing visible on his face. Thanks to him, the proud prince had spent the last seven years of his life in slavery after watching his stepmother's murder and his younger half-brother's humiliating separation from him. He could still remember the way Inuyasha had so embarrassingly screamed and wailed when they had taken him away.
"Inuyasha, now it would seem you are the stronger one...for the time being." His voice was soft and rumbled from deep within his chest.
"What did you say, master?" Jaken looked up with hopeful eyes, clearly wanting to go back inside where it was warm and he was not at risk to blow away.
Sesshoumaru continued to stare straight ahead, wondering exactly where Inuyasha was at that moment, leading his haphazard rebellion. It would fail, there was no question of that, and it would fail miserably, unless he could arrive and help. After all, Inuyasha had never been one who was very good at planning ahead, he just did things in the heat of the moment, and that would get him nowhere closer to freedom.
"Jaken, have you heard anything more about this girl who is traveling with Inuyasha?"
Jaken shivered again and lowered his head in disappointment as he realized Sesshoumaru was quite content to have their conversation outside. "No, master, nothing more then what I have already told you."
"Then refresh my memory."
"They say she is young, and is the daughter of a slave master. But more then that, they say she has the ability to purify the diamond shards that restrain a demon's powers. They say that is why Inuyasha has become so powerful so quickly...because he is now as he once was."
Sesshoumaru had to bite back a sarcastic retort to that. Humans were so easily impressed by demonstrations of superior strength. To them, no doubt, Inuyasha was now like a god with his demon speed, strength, and healing abilities. But they had not the faintest idea what strength was, because they did not have a full demon in their ranks...yet...
"And the other companions, Jaken? Tell me again about them."
Jaken screwed up his face as he tried to remember the little information he had been told from his network of spies. "All I have been told, master, is that besides the girl with the ability to purify the shards, Inuyasha is still with that monk, and has now also befriended a wolf demon as well as a woman who used to belong to the great family of demon exterminators."
"I see..." Sesshoumaru went silent again as he thought about the current situation. No doubt Naraku would be trying to keep the sons of Inutaisho apart because he knew, as did Sesshoumaru, that if the brothers were to reunite they would be unstoppable. The question was, when should he reveal to his enemy that he knew what was going on? At the moment Naraku no doubt believed Sesshoumaru to be oblivious to his younger brother's doings, and that was to the demon lord's advantage. When would it be wise to reveal his hand?
Jaken continued to shiver, and finally Sesshoumaru seemed to take notice of it. "Jaken, lets go inside for now. But keep me informed."
"Of course, master." The green man turned and struggled to keep up with Sesshoumaru's long strides and together they disappeared into a small hut in silence.
Kagome was having a very difficult time securing the flap over the entrance to the cave in order to keep the wind from terrorizing everyone within. Every time she was about to pin up a corner another gust would knock her to the ground and all the fires would threaten to blow out. Needless to say, she was getting frustrated.
"Stupid wind," she muttered as she rose to her feet for about the tenth time, determined to get the flap up that time. Again she was knocked back, but this time she felt a strong hand cover her own and hold her in place as she fell against a strong body that smelled like pine trees. Blushing, she realized it was Inuyasha.
The hanyou made a small grunt of annoyance that he had to help as he secured the flap on all four ends before moving and allowing Kagome to step away. She looked at the ground for a second before looking up again. "Thanks," she offered, but he just grunted and crossed his arms.
"Keh, maybe next time you should just let me do it from the start, woman."
Kagome balled her hands into fists. "You know, you could maybe show me a little gratitude for helping you get here in the first place."
He shrugged. "I would have gotten here on my own eventually. I didn't really need your help."
They had been going at it now for four days, ever since the hanyou had woken up, and Kagome was starting to get very skilled at arguing with him. This time she smiled and walked by as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You certainly seemed to be leaning on me quite a bit. How much do you weigh, anyway?"
"What did you say?" He snapped, his arms falling to his sides stiffly.
Kagome just smiled sweetly. "Nothing."
"You're no lightweight either, you know," Inuyasha retorted. "I was barely able to carry you out of that house during the fire."
"Are you calling me fat?" Kagome all but screeched, and the two moved closer so that now they were practically touching noses.
"You should know what I mean," he replied. "It's your body, after all."
"Why you...you...baka!" She smacked him, hard, across the face, and the hanyou staggered back with a hand on his cheek, his eyes now giving her a harsh glare.
"You'll pay for that, wench! No one slaps me and gets away with it."
Kagome turned her back on him and crossed her arms. "You deserved it."
"Well maybe you're too sensitive!"
"And maybe you have no sensitivity for others!"
"Will you both please just shut up?!" Kagome and Inuyasha froze, their mouths open to spew more insults, and turned to see Sango, her face a mask of annoyance, her eyebrow twitching. "Man...you two act like four year olds."
Miroku came over as well and looked at Inuyasha's cheek, still red from its contact with Kagome's hand. He chuckled. "You know, Inuyasha, it's my job to get slapped by the ladies, not you." He leaned in to whisper in his friend's ear. "What did you say to get her to do it? Maybe I can use it some time."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Do you ever think about anything besides that, Miroku?"
The former monk shrugged. "Why should I? One must always plan for the future, after all." All three were staring at him now, and he looked around for an instant before shrugging his shoulders. "What? It's true."
"You're both hopeless," Kagome exclaimed before walking away in the direction of the rows of weapons. "Are you ready, Sango?"
"Ready for what?" Inuyasha had a puzzled expression, but then understanding dawned and he smirked. "Don't tell me you're still wanting to practice learning how to fight. Keh, you're no good at it, wench."
Kagome stiffened her shoulders at the insult, but otherwise made no reply as she and Sango continued walking over towards the wall of targets. Sango put a hand on her friend's shoulder comfortingly. "Just ignore him, Kagome. You know all he wants is a rise out of you anyway."
"Who cares?" Kagome grunted. "It makes me feel better to get in his face."
Seeing it was an argument she wouldn't win, Sango just sighed and reached over and grabbed a bow and several arrows. "I thought we'd practice with these today."
"Why?"
"Well..." Sango wasn't sure how to explain her reasoning. "I've been observing you in practice, Kagome, and I have to say I think you're better suited for fighting with little contact. That means the bow and arrow would be a perfect weapon for you."
"What do you mean 'little contact' fighting?" Kagome had narrowed her eyes, and Sango tried to laugh away the tension between them, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.
"Just that, well, you're not as strong in hand to hand combat as you need to be to handle swords."
"What about your weapon?"
"Hiraikotsu?!" Sango opened her eyes wide in surprise as she glanced over at her weapon, which looked like an oversized boomerang, made out of the bones and hides of demons. She had put on a demonstration for Kagome the other day, and was now regretting it. "To handle a weapon like that takes years of practice, Kagome, and we only have a few weeks."
"Try a couple of days, Sango," Inuyasha called over haughtily. "The longer we stay here, the longer Naraku goes unpunished for what he's done."
The former demon exterminator whirled around and sent the hanyou a surprisingly forceful glare. "We'll be staying here as long as we need to, Inuyasha. So deal with it."
"Keh," was all he said in reply, crossing his arms and sitting down, though his ears were cocked in such a way that both women knew he was listening to their conversation.
"Anyway," Sango put a pleasant expression on her face once more, "There's no shame in being an archer, Kagome. Archery is a fine skill, and one that not many people can be successful at."
"And you want me to try and learn that instead of hand to hand combat?" Kagome now just looked confused.
Sango sighed. "Look, it takes a long time to learn either skill, but you have more potential to learn the basics of archery then you do of hand to hand combat. Do you understand?"
Kagome looked at the bow and arrows before shrugging her shoulders. "Whatever. What should I do first?"
"Here, take the bow and hold it for me." Kagome obeyed, but while she had it facing the right direction, it looked very awkward in her hands...as was to be expected from a girl who had never been taught how to fight before. Sango then handed her an arrow. "Now, I want you to arm your weapon, just so I can see what you do, alright?"
Kagome nodded and attempted to notch the arrow, pulling back, but the bow was too taught for her, or her arms were too feeble, she couldn't decide which, and she couldn't hold it back for long before it fell forward limply on the ground. She sighed in frustration. "Maybe I should just stick to treating the wounded."
Sango laughed. "Come on, that wasn't so bad for your first attempt. I should have remembered to check the bow first anyway. Just a second, I'll get you a different one that's a little lighter."
Kagome watched her friend trot over and pick up a different bow, slightly smaller and lighter then the first. But when Sango held it out to Kagome, she was skeptical. "You think just by changing bows it will change the fact that I don't have a clue how to use it?"
"No, but it will be easier to fire an arrow if the bow is better suited to your body and style."
"Okay, give me another arrow then." Kagome was keenly aware of the fact that not only was Inuyasha watching her, which was humiliating enough, but now Miroku, Kouga, Shippou, and several of the other former slaves were observing her lesson too. She could just picture all of them laughing and saying she was useless when she screwed up.
"Alright Kagome, now pull the arrow so that the string of the bow is taught," Sango instructed, and Kagome obeyed, not realizing she was closing her eyes as she did so until her friend laughed. "It might help if you watched to see where you were aiming."
"Oh...right..." Kagome blushed and opened her eyes to see the targets on the far wall. Why did that wall suddenly seem so far away? "Now what?"
"I want you to pick a target and aim for it."
"That's it?"
"Well, I want to see how you aim before I give you any instruction."
"Okay." Kagome found a large target low to the ground that seemed easy enough to hit and so, with a deep breath, she pulled back on the arrow until her arm was shaking with the effort and let go.
The arrow exploded into a halo of pink light, leaving a trail of sparkling, purified air in its wake. It fell far short of the target, landing nose down in the dirt, and Kagome had managed to snap her cheek with the bow string, but nobody seemed to care about that. They were all staring at her now as though she had just fired a perfect bull's-eye.
"What?" She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, especially with the way Inuyasha's jaw had dropped practically to the ground while Miroku could only point stupidly at her now harmless arrow.
"You...that...how..." Sango couldn't find the words to speak, instead walking over and picking up the object in question and examining it closely. Now it looked once more like any other arrow in the cavern.
"Kagome, that was incredible!" Kouga exclaimed excitedly, picking her up and spinning her around before she had a chance to realize what was going on.
"It...was?" Clearly confused, Kagome looked at Kouga as though he had grown horns out of his head.
"Yes...don't you know what you just did?"
"No. Should I?"
"You just created a purity arrow! I've never seen one before, I've only heard about them. They're very hard to use, and the person who can create them is rare. And you just created one! Can you believe it?"
Kagome just looked at him stupidly. "Purity arrow?"
Inuyasha sighed in exasperation, having finally overcome his own shock. "Keh, can't you see she's too stupid to figure out what you're talking about Kouga?"
Kagome bristled at that. "I'm not stupid, Inuyasha! It's not my fault I know nothing about fighting or purity arrows or whatever the heck you call that thing I just did. I thought that was supposed to happen! Does nobody care about the fact that I didn't even hit the target?"
Inuyasha looked over at where Sango was still examining the arrow in shock and smirked. "Oh yeah, you did miss...you've got really bad aim, you know that?"
"Why you...!" Kagome lunged for him and he, in self defense, caught her wrists with his hands so that their faces were only an inch or so apart.
"You need to not get so offended, wench," He huffed.
"Yeah, well you need to learn some manners, baka," she spit back. The silence between them stretched out into a minute, then two, then three, and suddenly Kagome felt her anger shifting into something else in such close proximity to his body. She was keenly aware of his smell, the smell of pine trees and rain, and for the first time found herself noticing how kissable his lips seemed at that moment.
Inuyasha stared back with an equal amount of ferocity, his amber eyes burning. How dare this woman insult him so! How dare she frustrate him! And more, how dare she look so damn attractive at that moment.
Her eyes were like two balls of fire...beautiful fire. They stared back at him without even the slightest hesitation, as though he were not a half demon with the strength to snap her slim frame in two, but like he was her equal. No one ever looked at him like that. Not when he had been a prince, and not when he had been a slave. In one instance he had been above everyone else, and in the other he had been beneath them. But not equal...never equal.
"Kagome..." Her name slipped off his tongue before he even realized what he was doing, and her body shivered slightly at the sound. He desperately wanted to close the gap between them at that moment, to know what it would feel like to kiss her. He'd never felt like that before. Women had always been an annoyance to him, not something to be desired, but Kagome, well, she just seemed to break all the rules he had created in his head in regards to the opposite sex.
She continued to stare back at him, but at some point, somewhere, the sexual tension shifted to something embarrassing and uncomfortable, and they pulled apart. They'd waited too long to do anything, and now they were both blushing like fools.
"Wench," he muttered under his breath.
"Baka," She replied.
"Interesting," Miroku commented with his hand under his chin, as though he had just made some startling revelation. Sango came up beside him, still holding the arrow, and nodded.
"I know; I've never seen anyone create a purity arrow, let alone someone like Kagome who has never touched a weapon before in her life."
But Miroku was shaking his head. "Not that."
"That's not interesting?"
"It is, but not as interesting as that." He pointed at Kagome and Inuyasha, who were walking away in opposite directions, still blushing, constantly glancing back at one another as though to try and figure out what had just happened between them.
"Oh," Sango smiled and glanced sideways at Miroku. "Well it's too bad Kagome hates him."
Miroku nodded in agreement. "Yes, and it's also a shame Inuyasha frequently has the urge to kill her with his bare hands."
They both nodded and Sango spoke again. "Do you think this calls for some friendly intervention?"
Miroku smiled a genuine smile and acquired a mischievous look as he gazed at his friend, who was now sitting in a corner with his legs and arms crossed and glaring at anyone who came near him. "I think there's certainly no harm in trying."
