Disclaimer: Do you really think I would be here if I owned Inuyasha? I mean seriously. Do own Shawn and Harashi and of course the plot.

OK I am sorry about the inconsistency of my italics last time. I apologize major and I will try very hard to use them if any songs happen to come up in this chapter. I am also sorry this has taken me so freakishly long. And yeah, summer's here! This chapter is my out of school gift to you all! Look forward to less time between chapters during the summer!

Thanks to:

Element Hanyou: Glad you "luv it."

Icygirl2: Happy to know you are so excited. And don't worry, you'll find out what Hiten is doing eventually!

Cousin's Return

Chapter 8: Nightmares

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and quickly dashed over to Kagome's window. He jumped up into the tree outside and tapped on the glass.

Kagome had been sitting with her back to the window and brushing her hair again. When she heard the little tap she twirled around and got ready to throw the brush. She saw who it was and put her hand to her chest and felt her heart pounding.

She quickly walked over to the window and opened it. "What the heck is your problem?" she asked as Inuyasha swung into the room.

"My problem? You're the one with the problem! You looked ready to attack me!" replied Inuyasha hotly.

"You scared me! Is it, like, becoming a hobby or something? You don't just suddenly tap on windows like that you…uh…make noise on your way up or… something," Kagome stuttered

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and began walking to the door.

"Hold on a minute!" cried Kagome, annoyed, "We're not done talking yet!"

The hanyou turned and crossed his arms, "What else could we possibly have to talk about? Besides when you two are coming back."

"I told you, we'll be back this weekend! Now shut up and listen!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes once more. It was so irritating when Kagome decided she was in charge.

"You didn't talk to Shawn last night," she stated simply.

"Yeah. She was kind of asleep. You usually don't talk to people when they're asleep."

"I know that you idiot!" cried Kagome, "You were supposed to wake her up or something. She was really depressed today! She thought… well I don't know what she thought but … the way she acted… it was like you had told her you didn't love her anymore."

Inuyasha felt his breath catch. Him fall out of love with Shawn? Not in a million years!

"That's crazy!" he said, "I would never say that! I never will!"

"I know that," said Kagome calmly, "But Shawn doesn't"

Inuyasha sighed. He turned to walk out the door, "I have to talk to her."

As he turned the door handle he felt a hand on his sleeve and he looked back at Kagome, "Inuyasha, Shawn has all ready gone through a life time's worth of pain. I don't want her to be hurt anymore."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He closed it and swallowed. The he nodded and walked across the hall to Shawn's room.

This time when he opened the door the room behind it was dark. No music came from the strange blue box on the bed-side table. Inuyasha crept up next to Shawn and saw that she was, once again, deep in sleep. He stroked her hair gently and noted her features were slightly distorted.

'She must be having a bad dream,' he thought.

"Shawn?" he whispered as he shook her shoulder a little bit.

'Sound sleeper,' he thought. Then he remembered what Kagome said, 'I gotta do something."

He tried shaking her shoulder again, this time a little rougher, "C'mon Shawn. Wake up!"

'Oh it's no use, but if I just leave her, Kagome's gonna "sit" me 'till my nose breaks,' Inuyasha thought miserably. Suddenly he had a brilliant idea.

He carefully walked over to Shawn's desk, tripping over a pile of clothes on the way, "Oh, damn!" When he arrived, now sporting a lovely new bruise on his shoulder, he fished around for a scrap of paper. Finally he found an unused pink notepad. Then he searched all the little drawers and organizers for one of those strange "pens" he had seen Kagome use a few times.

Quickly Inuyasha scribbled down the only three words he knew how to spell. He had seen them so many times on his letters to and from Shawn that he was certain he could spell them right. Or at least close enough. After that he signed his name the way Kagome had taught him. He had only done this a few times before on letters that had had Kagome send to Shawn. Finally satisfied with his work, Inuyasha placed the pink paper on Shawn's bedside table and jumped out the window. Or he at least tried to. His shirt got caught on the window latch and for a few seconds he was dangling in the air. (There was no tree outside Shawn's window and therefore nothing to grab onto) Then, FLOP, he fell and hit the ground.

"Ouch!" grumbled Inuyasha, "Maybe I won't have to wait for Kagome to sit me before I break my nose."

0o0o0o0o

She was running, no chasing someone, through a maze.

'A maze made of what?' thought Shawn. But she couldn't stop to examine her surroundings. She just knew she couldn't. She didn't know why, but somehow she knew she shouldn't stop. She should keep going. She kept running. She was cold. Was she outside? She looked up. It was dark, but she couldn't see stars. So maybe she wasn't outside. But she was sure she wasn't inside. It was too cold, 'What's going on?' she thought.

She looked back ahead she tried to see who she was chasing. Who was that? Wait, did he have silver hair? The running figure looked back. Shawn gasped.

"Inuyasha!" she cried. She tried to speed up, go faster, but whenever she tried she seemed to slow down. Either that, or Inuyasha was going faster, "Inuyasha wait!" she called desperately. He didn't even look back, "Please, wait! Inuyasha! Stop!"

She tried again to speed up and it seemed to work this time. She got closer and closer and just when she got an arm's width away Inuyasha turned. Shawn skidded and turned to follow, but when she rounded the coroner she ran into, not Inuyasha, but her parents!

"Mom! Dad!" Shawn cried. They seemed to be looking past her, looking at something behind her, "Mom! Dad!" she said again, she reached out, tried to hug them, make them see her, but she passed right through them!

"What? No! Mom!" she screamed, "Dad!" she walked back around and stood in front of them. She waved her hands in front of their eyes. They stood still as statues.

"Mom! Dad! Look at me!" she was crying now, "Say something! Do something! Please!"

Suddenly, the figures started floating back, away from Shawn, "No wait!" Shawn ran after her swiftly retreating parents, "Stop! Please!" It was happening again. When she tried to speed up and figures moved faster. Soon Shawn had chased them to the end of the corridor. It was a dead end.

'Yes, I can catch up,' thought Shawn, but she was wrong. Once the floating figures reached the wall they simply passed through, leaving Shawn to stand there bewildered.

"What? No! No! No! NO! You can't leave!" screamed Shawn feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. She pounded on the wall, "Damn it!" She turned around and ran back up the corridor. When she reached the end she turned down another hall and kept running. She felt tired. Her limbs were slowly becoming heavier and heavier, but she kept running.

She turned another coroner and ran into somebody. This somebody stood solid and tall and caused Shawn to bounce back a little and fall on her butt, "Ow!" she said through her tears. She looked up, "Hiten!" she cried.

"Are you OK?" Hiten asked bending down and helping Shawn up, "You just can't stop running into me," he said with a smile.

Shawn laughed in hysteria, "You can see me? And you're solid!" she reached out her hand to touch him, to reassure herself.

Hiten looked at her quizzically, "Yeah. Eyes are as good as ever," he said, a little weirded out by Shawn's comments.

"Oh God. Oh thank God!" cried Shawn falling into Hiten's arms, "Every one was running from me and I couldn't touch them or anything! Oh Go! Hiten, what is this place? Where are we? Oh, I just want to leave!"

Hiten patted her back, "Don't worry. We'll just-," he stopped speaking and went rigid, "No," he said, "No not now!"

"What?" asked Shawn pulling back a little to look up into Hiten's face.

"No! Shawn go. Go now! She's coming!" Hiten pushed Shawn away from him. He looked angry and maybe even a little scared "Go! Go before it's too late!" he yelled at her.

"What's going on? Who's coming?"

Hiten ignored Shawn and looked up at the sky or ceiling or whatever it was above their heads, "Stop! It's not time yet! Not yet!" he looked back at Shawn, "Go! This isn't supposed to happen yet! GO!"

"What do you mean it's not supposed to happen yet? Hiten, what are you talking about?" now Shawn was scared, rather than sad and hysterical. What was wrong with him?

"She's coming Shawn! Just leave! Trust me! I-" Hiten stopped and his eyes glowed blue, "She's here," he whispered.

Then suddenly Hiten's entire body started glowing. He squirmed a little, and with no warning, he turned into Harashi!

Harashi looked at Shawn and smiled, "Hello Shawn."

Shawn looked into the cold black orbs that were Harashi's eyes and screamed.

Authors note: Whoa! Cliff hanger! Don't kill me! It seemed like a really cool place to stop. Besides if I didn't have these cliffies would you really keep coming back to read this story? Especially since I take so darn long to update.

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! And before we get any questions on Shawn's hysteria, just think. How would you feel in her situation? Even though Shawn is usually very brave, she can get scared of crazy things to. I know I would start crying and screaming and what not if all this happened to me! So that's why she goes so wacky, for any of you who are wondering. Any other questions can be asked with reviews or e-mails.

Speaking of reviews, I have not been getting a lot lately. Before I post again I want at least three. More would be even better. The more reviews the faster the update! So hurry hurry!

Gotta roll,

DramaQueenABZ