Chapter Twenty

The Dream

Inuyasha sprinted up the staircase, running down the hallway towards his old bedroom.

Sesshomaru had returned. He had caught his scent and decided to hide, trying to avoid having to face his half-brother.

Inuyasha didn't want to see the look of disappointment on his face when he discovered he was still in the palace. Sesshomaru would insult him, calling him weak and pathetic.

He could almost hear the demon's deep voice in his mind.

'You shouldn't feel that way about a pathetic human.'

But Inuyasha still wasn't ready to return to his old and lonely life. Being near Shippo helped him endure the emptiness he felt permanently in his chest.

He let out a frustrated grunt as he saw his brother waiting for him by the bedroom door with his arms crossed.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow as he stopped beside him and Inuyasha pursed his lips.

"Hello."

"Are you going to continue to avoid me much longer?"

"Sesshomaru..." he warned him, narrowing his eyes.

"Follow me," the yōkai growled, turning and walking down the hallway.

"Why?"

Sesshomaru did not answer. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and walked after him to the central part of the building and up the stairs.

They walked down a very different hallway with oil lamps on the walls and grey carpets adorning the floor. Inuyasha knew that this was the area where Sesshomaru and Inukimi's bedrooms were.

"Where are we going?" he asked, beginning to feel nervous.

He had never been to that part of the palace before.

The yōkai stopped by a dark wooden door and opened it.

"Come in."

Inuyasha grimaced but stepped across the threshold. It was a large, well-kept bedroom with soft colours and light wood furniture.

"This will be your bedroom from now on."

Inuyasha almost choked.

"What?"

"You're one of Toga Taisho's sons and you deserve something befitting your position."

Technically he was right, but it was the first time Inuyasha had ever received anything like that. Sesshomaru's lips curled up slightly at the look of shock on his face.

"I don't know why you're surprised. Your old bedroom is too small, you'll be more comfortable here."

Inuyasha clicked his tongue, averting his gaze.

"I'll go back to my cave soon."

His brother snorted.

"Don't be stubborn. You can stay as long as you want, I've told you that many times."

"The rest of the yōkai don't want me here," Inuyasha spat through his teeth.

Sesshomaru took a step closer as the whites of his eyes reddened, giving him a menacing look.

"I am the Lord of this palace. The opinion of others does not matter."

Inuyasha arched one of his eyebrows.

"What about your mother?"

"Leave her to me."

Sesshomaru left the room without another word, closing the door.

The scent of cleanliness surrounded the room. Inuyasha relaxed his shoulders, scanning each piece of furniture with his gaze.

The bed was huge, much bigger than the one Shippo had downstairs. Inuyasha's feet stuck out of the mattress when he slept there with him, though he didn't mind.

That bed could fit three of them. And it seemed to be much more comfortable.

Inuyasha opened the wardrobe that was next to a door. There were several kimonos inside that he didn't intend to use.

His father's suit was too valuable not to wear. He couldn't risk some jealous demon taking it from him.

He left his sword and phone inside and locked it again.

Every few days Inuyasha still approached the border with the human device tied to his belt, though he had almost given up hope that she would try to contact him in any way.

Kagome had made it very clear to him that she never wanted to see him again.

He walked over to the door and opened it curiously, gasping at the sight inside.

A gigantic white marble bath. All to himself. He had never had so much luxury.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, closing it again.

He didn't want to live in that palace or become another soldier under his brother's command.

He would stay for another week and then go back to his cave.

Though perhaps he would return from time to time and spend a couple of days in his new room and to be near Shippo.

Inuyasha smiled.

That didn't sound so bad. Maybe the rest of his life wouldn't be as horrible as he imagined.

He fell onto the mattress with a jump, sighing as he discovered that he hadn't been wrong.

Everything was so much softer, even the sheets.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, rolling onto his side and hugging the pillow.

Surely Kagome didn't think about him anymore. She might have even decided to give the stupid human drooling after her a chance.

A growl rumbled in his chest at the thought of that idiotic guy.

It didn't really matter. He would never know what Kagome was doing anymore, and Inuyasha didn't want her to be unhappy.

If being with that human was what she needed to forget about him, then so be it.

The pain in his chest returned and Inuyasha gritted his teeth, trying to stop thinking and get some sleep.

"Tomorrow is your first day at the hospital, sister. Are you nervous?"

Kagome sighed as she stirred her soup absently.

"No. Well, maybe a little," she admitted in a low voice.

"It'll be alright, child. Don't worry," Kimiko murmured with a smile.

She nodded. So many weeks without a good night's sleep were ruining her good mood. Rarely a night went by that she didn't have nightmares, and almost every one of them involved Inuyasha at some point.

Though, in the last week, he had stopped being the one to haunt her. He simply watched her while other demons hunted her.

And the last night she had heard his voice as she had sped past him, dodging through the trees of the dark forest.

Kagome.

That was all he had said.

Kagome sighed, blinking to focus her eyes on her grandfather. He was talking and she wasn't paying attention to his words.

"...Higurashis are strong and determined. I'm sure you'll make a great oncologist."

"Thank you, grandpa," she replied with a smile.

"It's Friday, honey. Aren't you meeting your friends today?" asked her mother.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm too tired, I need to sleep to be ready. Sara says the first day is very stressful."

"Sara's a nurse, right?" Sota asked, chewing with his mouth open.

Kagome rolled her eyes. Always the same.

"Yes."

Kimiko walked to the side of her chair and stroked her hair, leaving a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Sleep well, Kagome."

She felt tears well up in her eyes. Though her mother hadn't asked a single question, she knew she was having a hard time.

"Thank you, mum."

After picking up and washing the dishes, Kagome went upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom for a relaxing bath.

Half an hour later, she entered her room with her favourite pyjamas on and walked over to the window, which was half open.

It was already dusk and the chirping of crickets could be heard around the shrine.

Kagome looked up, letting out a shaky breath as she saw that there was no moon in the sky.

New moon. Like the three nights she had spent with Inuyasha.

She wasn't sure, but she suspected that those nights he turned human for some reason.

Or maybe he could turn human at will.

'No.'

Inuyasha had told her for months that he worked out of town when in reality he was in the demon forest.

He could only meet her on the nights of the new moon, so that meant that was the only moment he looked human.

Kagome frowned, slamming the window shut.

A small part of her wanted to see him again. It had been a month since that horrible morning when she had discovered that the guy she was falling in love with was not a human, but a scary yōkai who had tried to kill her.

She shouldn't miss his eyes, his scent, the warmth of his lips on hers, the strong shivers that ran through her body when he touched her or that strange sensation she felt under her skin...

Kagome clicked her tongue, annoyed with herself.

Inuyasha was a murderer, a manipulator and a liar. She shouldn't think about him anymore.

She laid down on her bed, pulling the covers over herself and closing her eyes.

It took her more than an hour to sink back into her demon-filled nightmares.

Inuyasha jumped over the fence as soon as the last ray of sunlight fell behind the mountains, feeling his skin tingle as his body changed.

He had been thinking for days about whether or not it was a good idea to return to the human world and, in the end, he decided that he couldn't stay in the forest and risk death at the hands of a yōkai just for fear of running into her.

Tokyo was a gigantic city. The chance of seeing Kagome was slim.

He kept repeating those words in his head as he made his way down one of the long avenues, stopping at a take-out food stall.

After tasting five different dishes, all equally delicious, Inuyasha continued towards the centre.

He had decided to buy a couple of human books so he would have something to distract himself when he returned to his cave.

As he turned a corner, he stopped in his tracks.

He remembered that street. It was full of young people and shops with brightly lit signs.

Inuyasha pursed his lips as he recognised the name of the nightclub where he had first spoken to Kagome.

It seemed so long ago, but it had only been four months since that night.

A chill ran down his spine as he remembered how he had wanted to kill her then. Though everything was different now.

He was willing to suffer a few decades, allowing her to live a long and happy life.

But he doubted she would be able to do so. Even though she was human, Kagome felt the strength of their bond as well and would not feel complete without him.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, watching the small line of people waiting to enter.

That memory was especially painful.

The first time Kagome had looked up into his eyes. The first time he had heard her voice. The first time she had touched him.

Maybe if he spent some time there again he would be able to stop associating that area of Tokyo with her.

Inuyasha ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to make up his mind.

He shrugged and crossed over to the other pavement, settling in behind the last of the humans waiting to enter.

Sesshomaru had given him more gold and he had exchanged it for yens, so he had plenty of money to do whatever he wanted in the city.

Inuyasha wasn't going to lose anything by trying to unwind for a while while he drank a beer and watched the humans dance like they were possessed.

It might even be fun.

It still wasn't funny at all.

At least the other time he had been distracted by watching Kagome and her friends until he went over to talk to her.

Inuyasha raised an arm as the waitress passed by him, resting the other on the bar.

"You girl, I want a beer."

"And I want to be rich. Rude."

His eyes narrowed, shooting her a hate-filled glare.

Stupid humans. If he showed her his claws, she wouldn't dare speak to him that way.

"Please," he muttered, feeling his blood begin to boil.

The human gave him a smirk, pulling a bottle from one of the fridges.

"Was it that hard?"

"Keh," he grunted, dropping several notes on the wooden bar and striding away.

He'd finish his drink, buy the damn books and spend the rest of the night sitting in one of the trees near the border of the two worlds.

He'd put up with enough human bullshit for one night.

Inuyasha took a sip, sighing as he felt the icy bubbly liquid on his tongue.

That drink was quite good. Humans knew how to do some things, even if it was only a few.

Setting the bottle down, his whole body tensed as he detected a familiar figure across the room.

'Kagome?'

She had the same height and hair colour.

Was it her?

The human turned around and her teeth glinted under the disco lights.

It wasn't Kagome, but she looked an awful lot like her.

Inuyasha snorted slowly, scanning her body with his gaze.

Why was she so similar? Were they related?

The human's dark eyes settled on him and she smirked, arching an eyebrow in his direction.

'Shit.'

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, swallowing hard. He had stared at her for too long and she had noticed.

The human began to move towards him, dodging the rest of her kind.

Was she really coming to talk to him?

Inuyasha looked around, not quite sure what he should do.

He was there to spend time around other humans and stop feeling lonely, wasn't he?

Why couldn't he talk to her for a while? What was wrong with that?

He didn't have time to think. The human stopped in front of him and he gasped when he saw her up close.

'Kagome.'

"Hello!"

Her voice was different and, upon closer inspection, he realised she seemed older.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, unable to look away.

"Hi."

"I've never seen you around," she commented, tilting her head and blinking up at him.

She looked so much like Kagome...

'Kagome doesn't care about you.'

What if this human was capable of not hating him? What if he managed to feel a little better by being around her?

Her brown eyes were still fixed on his face and he saw her smile.

They were a little darker than Kagome's, her hair was much longer and her bangs were straight, though she could have been her twin sister otherwise.

If only her scent resembled hers as well... But that was asking too much.

Inuyasha smiled back at her. Maybe this girl would help him stop thinking about Kagome, if only for a few hours.

"What's your name?"

"Kikyo. What's yours?"

"Inuyasha."

"It's nice to meet you, Inuyasha," she said, raising her brow and offering him her hand.

Inuyasha shook it and Kikyo was too slow to let go.

He took another swig of beer, feeling his heart beat faster.

How could she be almost identical to her? What if fate was playing a trick on him?

'She is not Kagome.'

But she looked so much like her... Maybe...

Kikyo lifted a hand, holding several strands of his ponytail between her fingers.

"I love your long hair. It looks great on you."

Compliments?

Inuyasha twisted his lips in distaste. No one had ever said anything nice to him in his life... except Kagome.

And this human didn't know him, but he suspected that she wouldn't stop him if he tried to kiss her. If he were in his half-demon form, he could certainly detect the sour note that yōkai gave off when they wanted sex, though in a weaker form.

Kikyo was not shy, quite the opposite. Her fingers released his hair and brushed the collar of his black shirt.

"I've never met a more attractive guy in a place like this before," she murmured, her finger still slowly trailing down the garment.

His brow furrowed.

'It's not her. Kagome would never do something like that.'

Inuyasha pushed her hand away, taking a step back.

"I have to go."

"What?"

He turned away and ignored her. The human called out to him a couple of times but Inuyasha walked to the entrance hall and out into the street, taking a deep breath when he was finally outside.

The fresh air helped him think more clearly.

'You git. She didn't look anything like her.'

Inuyasha shook his head angrily. The damn bond that made him want to be with Kagome was going to end him.

He had no interest in meeting any more humans. They were boring and stupid, neither Kikyo nor any of them were worth the trouble.

They would make fun of him too if they knew what he really was. A hybrid who belonged to neither world.

This Kikyo just wanted to use him for her own gain, like many of the other yōkai he had met in the forest.

Kagome was the only one who had taken a sincere interest in knowing him with no ulterior motives and no demands.

He groaned. If he had told her everything from the beginning, she probably wouldn't have minded that he wasn't human.

She had such a good heart that she would have accepted him.

Inuyasha turned to the right and began to walk at a brisk pace, averting his gaze to a panel that marked the time.

Two in the morning.

'Fuck it. I need to see Kagome again.'

He crossed the street and followed the path he remembered walking with her that day, heading towards the Higurashi Shrine.

Kagome sighed, tilting her head to the side. She smiled with her eyes still closed, stretching out one of her legs.

Nightmares had tortured her earlier in the night but then she had managed to sleep and felt much better.

That sadness she always had inside her had diminished so much that she could hardly feel it. Things were starting to get better at last.

She opened her eyes very slowly, blinking a couple of times and looking for her alarm clock with her gaze.

The first rays of sunlight were about to rise, though it was still quite dark. It was almost six in the morning.

Kagome sighed again and looked down at her wardrobe, surprised to see a bulge right next to it.

She blinked again and frowned.

She was still dreaming because Inuyasha was there, his back against the wall and his knees bent. His head was on his arms and he was sleeping soundly.

Kagome watched his shoulders rise and fall with each breath.

In her dreams he never appeared in his human form, but that Inuyasha had hair as black as hers and she could see a human ear on the side of his head that wasn't resting on his arms.

Her heartbeat had been disturbed at the sight of him, but it quickly returned to normal.

That Inuyasha was not dangerous. He hadn't attacked her in her nightmares for eight days now and this didn't seem like one of them.

Kagome looked around, expecting the yōkai to break her window or burst through her bedroom door at any moment.

She closed her eyes and counted to six. They always appeared fast.

Nothing. Not a sound.

Kagome opened them again just as the first ray of sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating Inuyasha's figure.

Her eyes opened wider as she saw his body begin to change.

Inuyasha's hair changed colour in a matter of seconds, turning almost silver, and two triangular, furry ears appeared on top of his head.

She saw him wrinkle his nose slightly as his fingernails grew longer, but he didn't wake up.

Kagome gasped and his eyes snapped open. She froze as his golden irises settled on her and she heard him hold his breath.

"Fuck."

Before she could react, Inuyasha had opened the window and disappeared.

Kagome sat up in bed, breathing hard. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

What was Inuyasha doing in her bedroom?

Her eyes grew wider as realisation dawned on her. He was the reason she hadn't had nightmares for most of the night.

Did that mean that Inuyasha had entered her room every night since the incident in the forest?

Why?

Did you guys freak out when Kikyo showed up? haha

(Inuyasha spoilers. Don't continue if you plan to watch the series or read the manga)

I hate the love triangle they put in the anime (Inuyasha hesitating between the two).

In the manga that doesn't happen. He never hesitates, he knows that he wants to be with Kagome... but he feels indebted to Kikyo because she died for him. That's why he tries to protect her whenever she's around.

And that's the reason why in my story he doesn't hesitate either. He's only interested in Kagome :)