Nocturne - Chapter Four: Midnight Fantasies
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
o - o - o - o - o
Kagome could feel a soft pressure on the inside of her leg, but it was not enough to pull her entirely out from the land of dreams. She did not want to leave those dreams, warm and carefree, to face the harshness of reality just yet. The pressure rose higher in a slow, almost tentative movement. The feeling trailed back down, teasing her skin as the flesh pulled into taunt gooseflesh. Then the touch trailed back up, slower now, rising higher and higher. When finally, the touch reached the apex of her thighs, a heavy weight lowered itself onto her legs.
Eyelids fluttering, still blurry with sleep, Kagome looked to find a silver glow between her legs. The covers had been thrown back, allowing the heat to dissipate into the cold of the room. Any remaining heat she had left in her body flooded all down to her lower half.
Before any more thought could be strung together, or words uttered, a soft touch caressed her most intimate area. She sucked in a breath, languishing in the sudden feeling of pleasure. Her legs fell open shamelessly at the beckoning and Kagome mindlessly moaned, perhaps a name; she wasn't sure.
The pressure was warm and wet as it touched her, gliding over her sensitive folds. Her fingers wrapped around the silver strands positioned between her legs. The sensation that mounted in her core caused her to flush, her body now reinvigorated. Euphoric intensity began to build within her. The urgency of her need began to overwhelm her already foggy state. Kagome's eyes were slits, and through her sleepful haze, she was brought closer and closer to consciousness.
Golden eyes and a crescent moon flashed briefly through her vision before she squeezed her own eyes shut as the climax engulfed her, sending her over the edge in waves. A breathy cry escaped her lips, and she gripped, white-knuckled, onto the strands of silver. Her eyes flew open, and she bolted upright, her need for something more overcoming her.
Kagome panted softly and looked around the dimly lit room. Looking between her legs, there was...nothing. Her hands were wrapped tightly around her covers. She loosed her grip and scanned the room again. There was nothing out of place, and she was alone in the small abode.
'Did I just dream that?' she wondered sheepishly.
To have such an intense and realistic dream made her feel a little shameful — what a lustful woman she was becoming. A blush crept over her face once she realized who she had dreamed. Raising a hand to her mouth in a thoughtful gesture, she waved away the notion.
'No, I mustn't drudge those memories up,' she scolded herself.
The room was cold, the embers of the hearth which heated the house pitifully low. Kagome shivered and rose to bring the fire back to life. Once she'd completed that task, wakefulness had settled too much upon her for sleep to come back quickly. Oddly enough, her dream had not satiated her hunger, leaving her desirous for more. She pushed the thought away, shoving it down deep. She prepared an herbal tea and sipped the steaming concoction, thinking the dream over and over. It made her middle clench in an exciting sensation.
'How can I be thinking about this?!' she demanded of herself.
Setting her cup down forcefully, she rose and walked over to the door. Her hand rose and settled on the wall as if touching something on the other side. Now she was being silly. It would seem that living on the edge of a village and being alone led to ridiculous tendencies: dreams, notions, and the like.
The herbal tea began to take its intended effect, and Kagome made her way back to her futon to sleep before the sun started its zenith. There were only a couple of hours left of darkness and village life started early. She longed to be well-rested when tending to the needs of others so she settled in to sleep, all the while praying no more dreams would come her way.
o - o - o - o - o
When the sun rose, Kagome woke to the sound of birdsong outside. She found it irksome that even 500 years in the past, she had to wake early. Back when she was still a child she had naively thought that people in the past slept in because they lacked alarm clocks. Now she knew the truth. Nature had a gripping way of reminding one that life would not wait. Whether it be the call of the birds outside, the pressing need to relieve oneself after a night of sleep, or the steady reminder that food had to be made - from scratch no less - and food cost money which had to be earned through hard work. In a sense, sleep was a commodity that many could not afford.
She set to her morning chores, which consisted of putting the bedding away, setting up the hearth and cleaning up any old cinders, drying herbs, and fetching water from the local water supply. She usually tried to gather water before the sun rose, but since winter had set in, she waited until the sun rose high enough to provide some level of warmth.
Today, it was hidden behind a cover of grey clouds, and Kagome sighed as she set out with her carrying pole to the river. Usually, Inuyasha would fetch the water for their home since he could carry more and return quickly, but while he was gone, Kagome had to shoulder all of the household chores, quite literally. On her return trek, she paused when she heard her name called aloud.
"Kagome!"
Kagome set her load down carefully and turned around. She knew from the voice that Sango was coming her way. The woman waved heartily once she saw that Kagome had heard her and Kagome waved back. The former taijiya jogged over and hugged her friend.
"Kagome, it's been days since I've seen you!" Sango exclaimed.
"I suppose it has!" Kagome considered. She'd not given thought to the absence of her friend these past few days; her mind preoccupied. "I'm sorry, I've been a bit distracted and busier than I'd intended."
Sango gave Kagome an assessing glance, looking her up and down with a peculiar look on her face.
"Well," she began, "I figured something was up since you missed dinner last night."
The realization hit her like a hammer, "Oh my! I'm so sorry, Sango! I completely forgot about it. Please forgive me."
Sango waved her off. "It's fine. The girls missed you, but the boys couldn't be bothered. Katsu is going through this stage where he finds all girls disgusting, and little Hiro does whatever his elder brother does, so…" she trailed off.
"Well, I am sure I can make it up to them tonight?" Kagome suggested. "I don't have anything special planned."
Sango smiled broadly, "Not unless the men return, that is."
Kagome forced a laugh. "Right," she said with a small, forced smile that seemed to belie her true feelings.
Sango sighed and put a friendly hand on Kagome's shoulder.
"Listen, the real reason I've come is to check up on you. I saw young Rin yesterday evening, and she told me that you took a tumble."
Kagome looked off to her side. She didn't want her friends to worry about her. There was so much else to worry about, and she didn't need them burdening themselves fearing for her wellbeing.
"Oh, that. Yes, I think I was overworked and dehydrated."
"Dehydrated?" Sango questioned.
"Um, when you don't have enough water," Kagome supplied.
Sometimes what seemed simple common sense was unknown to the people of the Feudal Era. Kagome had a hard time recalling what was considered modern medicine and what was not. Something that every school-age child knew of - germs -was still undiscovered and unknown in this day and age. Kagome thought it common sense to wash her hands, boil rags, or keep medical utensils clean, whereas the people of the era did not share her concern.
Sango nodded, "That makes sense, I suppose."
She looked to her left and her right to make sure no one was listening. The village had ears in every direction and larger mouths. Word would travel fast if one were not careful. Kagome noticed that Sango seemed to brighten when she assured herself that no one was around.
"So, tell me, Kagome. What ails you? Truly?"
Kagome felt a little taken aback at her direct question. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Sango gave her a sheepish look. "You cannot fool me. I've been with child enough to know your symptoms are not from 'de-hi-dray-tion,'" she attempted the unfamiliar word.
A shocked expression crossed Kagome's features, and Sango felt a little dubious. "You can't mean to tell me you didn't know? You? The miko who knows all of the gloriousness of healing from your future world?"
When Kagome still did not respond, instead, standing almost listless in front of her, Sango began to feel concerned.
"Kagome! Perhaps you are truly not well. Come," she said and grabbed up the carrying pole. "Let's get you back to your home and discuss."
Sango guided her friend back to her dwelling. Once inside, Sango sat the water down and approached Kagome who seemed to be internally at war with herself.
"Let's sit," she said and guided Kagome to the floor. "You are even paler than usual," Sango said softly.
Kagome was, indeed, at war on the inside. She felt surges of happiness and shock and tinges of fear.
"I…" she began. "I did know, I think. I just hadn't admitted it to myself."
"Well, you've been childless for so long I was beginning to think that Inuyasha was impotent!" Sango exclaimed.
"Haha," Kagome let out a nervous laugh. "I suppose not. Otherwise, how could I be...pregnant?" she nearly choked on the word.
Sango turned serious. "You do not look as excited as I would have expected. Are you sure you are alright?"
"I'm fine," was her response and not a convincing one.
Sango wore a skeptical look and assessed her friend again, trying to see if her gaze could crack Kagome open.
"Right, well, I am excited for you, and I am certain that Inuyasha will be ecstatic once he learns the news."
Kagome's eyes snapped wide. She hadn't considered Inuyasha. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts, not allowing herself to see the truth and what that may imply, that it had caught her off guard.
"Are you afraid of his reaction?" Sango asked, inferring from her friend's actions. "I, too, was nervous to tell Miroku that I was with child. Even though I knew it was what he had wanted, I still felt trepidation."
She gave Kagome a reassuring hug. "Once I told him, he surprised me with his tender reaction, and I could not have felt more love for the man."
Sango sat back and smiled, thinking about it. "And here I am...four children later."
"I know it's silly. I've wanted this for so long. I'm just afraid that it won't be what he wants," Kagome said.
"He would be a fool to assume that coupling would never result in children. Even more,e a fool to pass up the chance to create a family with you," Sango told her. "In fact, if he acts anything more than over the moon with happiness, you tell me, and I will knock him out," she said levelly.
A burst of real laughter erupted from Kagome. Sango had a way of putting things into perspective. Kagome only wished that she could tell her friend her genuine fear, but the past events would be misconstrued into something else entirely, and Kagome had not yet determined how to deal with this perturbing turn of events.
She mentally shook herself back to reality, "Thank you, Sango. I appreciate all that you've done."
"You know I would do practically anything for you. Just as you've done for me. I love you as a sister, and I'm so excited for you," Sango said tenderly, pulling Kagome into another embrace.
The woman was much too pleased with Kagome's condition, likely so she would have another person with which to commiserate. The other village women seemed a little vapid for Sango's tastes. She preferred to hold a meaningful conversation, one that included battling techniques or demon-slaying, which the local women did not consider appropriate conversation topics for women.
"I consider you a sister, too, Sango. Thank you again. I'm glad to have you through this...process," she said gesturing to her middle. "But, um, do you think that Kaede and Rin know?"
Sango gave her a knowing smile. "Of course Kaede suspects, and Rin...well she is a chatterbox and probably the most gossip-mongering person I know, but she is not blind. Neither is she disloyal to her friends. You've nothing to worry over until you are ready to share the news yourself. Though, I cannot imagine who more you could tell outside of the men."
Just thinking that Rin knew made Kagome's heart sink into the pit of her stomach. Rin was loyal and would not tell anyone. Well, there was someone she would trust enough to understand, and that was the last person that Kagome wanted to know about her condition.
"Can I share something with you?" Kagome asked. She must have looked quite pitiful once Sango's expression turned from joyous to concerned.
"Of course," she said.
"I-I assumed that Inuyasha and I could not have children," she divulged.
"What would make you think that? Just because you had not been with child yet, does not mean you are not capable. Sometimes it takes a while for a pair to be fully compatible," Sango tried to assure her.
'Compatible,' Kagome thought. What a word to use. "Well, there's that, and sometimes, hybrids cannot reproduce."
Sango's lip curled up in confusion, her brow knit together. "What?"
"You know that Inuyasha is half human and half yokai, right?"
"Yes, I am familiar with his lineage," Sango told her. "What does that have to do with it?"
"But have you ever seen a quarter yokai?" Kagome asked. "A diminutive version of a hanyou?"
"Kagome, are you afraid that Inuyasha will not want a child with you because it would be some sort of abomination?"
"No, that's not it. It's just that usually hybrids are sterile. Meaning they cannot have children." she explained.
Sango still looked confused. "I don't follow, but I do know that you are overthinking into this."
"You're right; I'm just overthinking this. I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Don't apologize. I was also very overcome with crazy thoughts. I even would have the most pleasantly, strange dreams! The things that pregnancy does to you may shock you, but I promise I will be here as well as the others."
Kagome smiled and sighed. Momentarily, she felt at ease. She thanked Sango profusely and entertained her for another hour before she had to return to her family.
"I will see you this evening for dinner," she said. "I need to get back before the young ones overwhelm Rin. I left them with her to come out here alone. I didn't think you'd want to have your tidy home trampled just yet," she winked.
A/N: Please leave a review if you can! I don't get paid, so they are my mental and emotional currency!