Kagome tumbled through the black, empty void for what felt like days. The breath was stolen from her lungs; her head swirling as she finally landed hard on her back. Luckily, the long swaying grass had cushioned her fall a bit. But not much.
She sat up with a grimace, rubbing the back of her head where it had made contact with the earth.
She looked around, noticing how the air seemed to hold a slight shift to it, the fireflies flitting around her seeming to leave trails of light through the air.
She had finally fallen asleep, and somehow found herself in the dream realm.
She stood up, dusting herself off. Usually she was a bit more graceful when she came here. She still wore the same outfit as when she was awake, her brows knitted together in confusion.
"Father?" She called out uneasily, looking around the meadow that she had been to many times before. It was the same as always, a gentle sea far off in the distance, trees curling up into the night sky that seemed too still.
But Tsukuyomi wasn't there.
She took a few steps forward, her feet rustling through the grass.
The meadow was empty. Her words were met with silence, nothing but the sounds of far away waves crashing on the lonely shore.
Why was she here? It didn't make any sense.
"Hello?" She tried again, walking towards the trail the would sometimes appear here, thought the path would never be the same.
Again, the night swallowed up the words just as they passed her lips.
Grass became stone beneath her sneakers, the way materializing in front of her as she went forward.
"What's the point of this?" She muttered to herself, frustration leaking out into her voice.
She just wanted one thing to go right. One thing. Was that too much to ask?
A street lamp appeared a few yards ahead, curling like smoke as it became solid. The gold lit the path, drawing her thoughts towards InuYasha once again. He was never far from her thoughts, but she found that she looked for pieces of him every where. And right now she found him in the warm flame that flickered behind the glass of the lantern.
Her chest filled with a strange feeling, her stomach doing flips as she cautiously continued forward.
"Is anyone there?" She tried to instill her voice with a confidence she didn't feel, her words echoing out into the shadowed edges of her vision.
She couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like there was someone huddled down on the stones up ahead, their form shrouded by darkness.
She drew closer, her brows knitted together in confusion.
"Hello?" She tried again, her hand reaching out tentatively to touch the figure on its shoulder.
Just as she did so, the creature leapt up, sprinting away down the path. As she did so she could see it's limbs were long and spindly, it's gait unnatural as it bounded into the shadows.
"Hey wait!" She shouted, pausing only for a moment in unease before chasing after it.
She tried to remind herself that she was the daughter of the god who ruled this realm. She held power here that she had yet to discover, and that thought gave her the confidence to pursue the off-putting shadow creature that seemed to be leading her somewhere.
She noticed the landscape slowly beginning to change.
Where once was lush, tall grass and plump trees now gave way to angular looking branches that rose high up into the night sky, sharp and threatening.
There were no stars.
The air seemed heavy here, laden with an aura that she couldn't quite decipher. Mist slowly seemed in through the trees, ghosting across her feet.
She could see another lantern up ahead, it's glow weak and not nearly as bright as the last one.
The figure suddenly stopped, crouched a few yards ahead.
Kagome's steps faltered, her stomach dropping and twisting with unease.
There was an eerie, prickling feeling settling over her skin; the hairs on her arms were raised as goosebumps erupted over them.
She could only watch, horrified, as it slowly turned its head, revealing its face, or lack thereof.
Where its eyes should have been sat two gaping holes that seemed to pour outward with an overwhelming sadness, the void of them hollow and somehow poignant at the same time. It had no mouth, at least not one she could see. A skeletal-like nose was the only other feature it had to speak of.
The lantern cast a pale light on its deformed body that seemed more demonic than human, it's wretched shoulders drooping downwards and its long fingers dragging on the ground. It's skin was dark, moving constantly like smoke as if the being was only half solid.
The logical part of her brain was screaming at her to run.
But something held her there, her body unwilling to move, locked in a staring contest with the unnatural entity that commanded her attention.
It had no aura. No sign of life within it. And yet she could not help but to feel its pain. It was nearly palpable, its sadness and longing filling the air around her.
"What are you?" Kagome whispered, her voice laden with her own discomfort. "Are you.. are you meant to be showing me something?"
The creature seemed to be studying her for a long moment before finally nodding slowly, it's movements jerky as it dragged its arm up to point out into the forest.
Her eyes followed it, struggling to see anything through the fog that seemed to have thickened up out of nowhere.
Where she turned back to look at the shadow creature, it was gone.
The path had disappeared as well.
She took in her surroundings, feeling the cold prickle of fear down her spine.
She took a deep, steeling breath, her fists clenched at her sides, staring off into the heavy mist where the thing had been pointing.
Nothing moved. The forest around her was still, and quiet.
Kagome slowly walked forward, the trees seeming to part for her. Their great, craning branches reach over her like spindly, knotted black fingers.
Her heart seemed to pound extra hard inside her chest as her feet crunched over the sparse grass.
The aura this place held was so strange.
It was a vast nothingness, devoid of life, that much she could easily discern.
But there was something of a path, slowly revealing itself as the mist parted around her feet. It drew her forward, the cold, dead forest almost seeming to threaten to swallow her whole.
There was something calling out to her there in the distance. She squirted her eyes, craning to get a better look as her steps slowed, her heartbeat pounding in her ears like a drum.
A great mass of fog swirled up ahead, thick and viscous, completely opaque.
"…priestess…"
Chills ran down her spine and she stopped dead in her tracks.
That voice…
She had heard it before.
Had heard it laugh and taunt her and her friends, had heard it whispering through her mind against her will. It held a sing- songy tone, honeyed and slick; a snake slithering through her nightmares, wrapping its way around her neck to strangle her.
Naraku
Her blood seemed to run cold at that moment.
The fog took the loose shape of a man, the edges of it curling through the air, billowing like a cloud of pure negative energy. Blood red eyes snapped open, unsettling and demonic, locking in on her.
She felt the effect of his gaze to her core. It stabbed at her reiki, the feeling of his aura flooding her with an overwhelming feeling of sickness and evil.
"Not just a miko, I see. Now you fancy yourself a dreamwalker as well."
His words seemed to materialize out of thin air. They left a grimy feeling over her skin. She was still stuck in place, her hands clenched into fists at her sides and she drew her spiritual power to the surface, ready to defend herself at any moment.
"Very interesting…" the figure drifted closer, oozing menace.
Kagome nearly tripped over her own feet in her hurry to back up. His eyes seemed to bore straight through her, sharp and piercing. They held the memories of countless tortured souls that she could almost see reflected there, screaming for help.
"You will find nothing here but pain, priestess… and nothing but death in the next realm, for you and your friends."
His misty form suddenly shot forward to swallow her, her vision going black as a gut wrenching scream tore its way from her throat.
She shot up out of a dead sleep, gasping for air as her eyes flew open wildly.
Suddenly thrown out of the dream state, It took her a long moment to calm the erratic beating of her heart. It could have pounded its way out of her rib cage easily, her hands bunched into fists at her sides.
"…Kagome? Are you okay?"
She felt Sango's hand press tentatively on her shoulder, her touch feather-light, and she realized she was shaking.
Her eyes snapped up to meet the concerned gaze of her friend, who had come down to rest on her knees next to her in the weak, early morning light. Her hands wavered as she rushed to wipe away the sweat on her brow and wet her lips, curving them up into a smile that would not reach her eyes.
"Sorry, I'm fine." She lied, the taste of it bitter on her tongue. She looked down at her pale hands where they were grasped together in front of her, her knuckles white.
"Just a nightmare."
She could not keep her voice from breaking.
The Taijiya's brows were knitted together in concern, her dark brown eyes shining with disbelief. Sango knew her well enough to know that this had been no ordinary night terror. They had slept side by side countless times, enough for her to be able to tell the difference when something was actually wrong.
"Let me get you some water."
Kagome could tell there was more that she wanted to say, but she hurriedly rose to her feet and disappeared out the door.
But she was glad for it.
The moment alone was enough for her to gather herself. By the time Sango had come back with a bucket of fresh water from the well, Kagome was readying herself for the day. Miroku and Shippo still snored peacefully from their spots on the hard floor, and she took the opportunity to hastily change into a different shirt after she'd combed through her long, wavy hair. It fell down to her hips, seemingly impossibly long and cumbersome these days.
She lifted the reed curtain that covered the door, stepping out into the brisk air, taking a deep breath.
The sky was painted in the pale blues and pinks of the early morning, tinged with gold light that splattered over the dew covered grass.
"Here." Sango offered her a cup filled with the water she had fetched, watching her carefully as she thanked her, taking a few greedy gulps.
"Thanks. I'm fine, really." Kagome tried to reassure the girl, doing her best to mask her true feelings and bring a smile to her eyes.
Sango just looked at her for a moment.
She opened her mouth just to close it again, chewing on her words. They both knew that she was lying. It was obvious. She very clearly was not fine. The opposite actually.
She had never in her life had a dream like that… if it could even be called that. It hadn't quite been a nightmare either, but close enough.
But Naraku had seen her, spoke to her, he knew that she was there. Knew that she could walk into his mind as she pleased.
Fear trickled down her spine as her stomach sank like a stone.
Nothing good would come out of this. That much she was sure of.
The air was misty, holding that early morning golden glow that she had grown used to, waking up early had become part of her routine. Birds chirped softly, calling out to each other while flitting among the branches of the great, swaying trees. It was peaceful. No bustling noise from cars speeding down a busy street or people shoving past each other as they crowded the sidewalks.
Kagome just stood there for a moment, her eyes cast out over the rolling hills splattered with crops and homes, the river carving its way through the land, bringing life with it. She felt a wave a calm wash over her, her fingers tightening around the wooden cup in her hands.
At this present moment, there was nothing she could do. She was going to worry herself to death if she kept on like this.
Sango had disappeared back inside at some point during Kagome's internal struggle, she could smell the smoke hit the air as she started up the fire. Rustling and muffled voices let her know that the rest of their company was waking.
She needed to talk to Mamoru before anything else.
He was the only one here who could understand such a thing… she just hoped he wasn't still upset with her for last night.
Granted, she had been out of line. It wasn't unlike her to lose her temper every now and again, especially when her buttons were pushed, but he didn't deserve to take the brunt of her frustration like that. An apology was definitely owed on her part, that she could easily admit.
Kagome turned, looking out into the tree line where he had disappeared hours earlier, her eyes scanning the dark branches. She let her feet guide her. She could feel the gentle pull of his aura responding to her almost automatically as her own reiki sparked reflexively. Following that feeling led her into the shaded forest, the sun not having risen enough to dapple through the canopy.
Though it was cast in shadow it was familiar, safe. Gentle roots climbed over each other as the massive trees competed for space, soaring up into the sky. Everything was still and calm.
But birds chirped. The leaves above her rustled and sang as the wind blew through them, a pleasant breeze carrying on the air.
It was the complete polar opposite of the place she had gone last night, that nightmare realm.
She hadn't gotten very far when she suddenly felt the tingle of eyes on her. He was somewhere in the branches above her, and had undoubtedly sensed her before she had even crossed the tree line.
A sigh escaped her, her chest feeling heavy all of a sudden. She dropped to sit on the mossy forest floor, back pressed against a massive tree trunk as she drew her legs up against her chest, resting her head on her knees.
"I was a jerk last night…"
She said finally, breaking the silence, knowing he would hear her. "I'm sorry."
Mamoru studied Kagome as she sat at the base of a large tree, arms wrapped around herself and her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, spilling over the gnarled root she sat on. Her eyelashes fluttered against her pale cheeks, the rest of her expression hidden from his view.
Sometimes he felt an odd pang in his chest when he looked at her.
It was strange.
Had had befriended her many times under many different guises throughout her childhood.
Sometimes he was the boy on the playground who shared his toy when none of the other kids would play with her. Sometimes he was the elderly clerk who just so happened to give her an extra treat in her bag by accident. He helped keep her safe from the sidelines. Protected her because that was his duty. Tsukyomi was his master, and his progeny was in his direct care. It was a big responsibility.
That dragon Yokai had watched her grow from an unremarkable human child into the girl who now bore a great power, rippling beneath the surface of her reiki, ready to explode at the slightest push. He had grown fond of her as time passed. Years had went by with him casually interjecting into her life unbeknownst to her, but admittedly up until a few months ago he had never really considered her feelings. Her moods irritated him, human emotions were hard for him to understand sometimes.
She had suddenly seemed so much older to him out of nowhere one day. Her eyes held a different look in them, her body grown more solid and womanly. One day she had been a child, and the next there was a young woman in her place. Unfortunately he had a weakness for those.
He was of the Tatsu.
It was in his nature to lust, to covet, to admire. Dragons of his ilk especially were known to hoard beautiful things. His power drove him to drain energy from his target, and admittedly his favorite way to acquire such things was through carnal activity. There were many ways to manipulate and bend one's spirit, to consume its power, but sex always seemed to satisfy him more. He was a male after all. Not to mention young for his kind, and still easily influenced by his own hormones.
Mamoru swallowed thickly, watching her from behind the leaves.
Those thoughts were dangerous. Not to mention wrong beyond belief.
There had been a moment, once, where they'd almost kissed in the courtyard at the school, but that had been extremely stupid of him to act so impulsively. It was a mere whim, just because she had been so close. That's what he told himself over and over the last few weeks anytime that pesky memory tried to scurry its way to the forefront of his mind. Kagome was the one person that was supposed to be exempt from that part of him. He had quite literally watched her grow up, not to mention he was indentured to her father. Nothing good would ever come from things if he dared to try and cross that line with her. It was foolish to even let himself wonder.
Looking down at her now, he hurriedly attempted to brush those thoughts away.
"… I'm sorry."
The apology hit the air and he stiffened slightly, letting the words sit there for a long moment, heavy and laden with apprehension, before he finally dropped down from his perch, landing softly on the moss-padded forest floor.
Her eyes caught his, a deep, solid brown, framed with thick eyelashes that batted up at him innocently. Her teeth had caught the corner of her bottom lip, knowing as her fingers worried against her knee.
"I shouldn't have taken my emotions out on you, 'moru. I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with sometimes…"
Mamoru stood above her, his blue-black hair the color of a raven's wing spilling over his strong shoulders, catching the weak light of the morning sun as it began to filter through the trees. Secretly, he didn't mind so much when she called him that.
A few heartbeats went by before he finally responded.
"Thank you… for considering my feelings." His voice was even, his eyes never leaving her face. She looked so small and delicate, curled into herself the way she was.
Her words had struck him surprisingly deep last night… though she had unknowingly been right.
Tsukyomi had not called for him in days. His master had been absent, as a result his own dreams had been nothing but a black, shapeless void.
Fear trickled down his spine.
The connection he had with the god of the night was vital to him… it was something he could not bear to lose. Falling from favor was never far from his mind.
But he could tell her apology was not the reason she sought him out. There was something else on her mind. Something that seemed to be almost physically weighing on her.
"I know you too well for this, Kagome. Just spit it out." The words came out in a playful sigh, and he sunk down to the ground to sit beside her. Almost immediately he could feel her energy calm slightly, the constant buzzing around her stilling for an instant as she seemed to take a deep breath. Her eyes shifted out into the forest, deep green reflected in them as she was far away for a long moment.
"I… had a dream last night." Her knuckles were white where her hands gripped each other. "Well, a nightmare really." Her tone fell, he couldn't stop himself from laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, silently urging her to go on.
"Naraku saw me… he knew I was there, wherever that was… some…thing brought me to him."
He could see the chill as it raked over her, cheeks pale and wan as she recounted her night terror.
After she had finished he chewed over her words carefully in his mind, knowing that they now had to act very carefully now that Naraku was aware of Kagome's spiritual power.
"Well first off, I suppose I should properly fill you in…" he ran a hand through his bangs, pushing them off his forehead and he tried to figure out where he should start. "This is a good sign, you're getting stronger, acquiring more of Tsukyomi's abilities… a Yurei came to you last night, it led you to Naraku so you could walk in his dream, peek into his mind. It was doing you a favor, in its own way, though they aren't the prettiest of creatures." He chuckled at the expression on her face as she was clearly remembering what the Yurei looked like, it's wrinkled, shadowed skin and too-long limbs.
"That thing was doing me a favor?"
A soft smile quirked at the corner of his lips.
"It used to be a person, a long time ago."
He did not relish in the way her expression instantly fell.
"A Yurei is a spirit that has been caught between realms for too long… it's memories of life faded away to dust. They long for that feeling. They're always looking for ways to find it again… it's quite sad really. But they are occasionally helpful to those they deem worthy of respect."
There was a long, heavy beat of silence as she absorbed everything he had said, silently looking down at the tips of her sneakers.
"That… makes sense, I guess. So what now?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and doe-like.
"Well, perk up kid, you're a dream walker, could be worse." He drew himself up to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. He found he quite liked the feeling of the old-world style garb he wore. It had been eighteen years since he'd been home, give or take… he felt a deep pang of hurt echo within his chest at the thought of his clan, their tribe in the mountain caves, how he had left in shame.
Faces that he had tried his damnedest to forget flashed in his mind, a slideshow of his greatest regrets.
He shook his head, fighting to clear it. Kagome was looking up at him, still seated on the mossy ground with her legs folded daintily beneath her. But her face seemed paler than usual, her eyes a bit flat and dark where once they had shimmered. She seemed… sad. Lost.
He knew that feeling all too well.
He offered her his hand, along with a small smile, the only reassurance he could offer, really. Hesitating, she took it, letting him pull her to her feet. He couldn't help but notice how small her hand was inside of his own, how warm and alive she felt against his cold skin. The moment was over quickly; she pulled away, brushing herself off with a distant look in her eyes. The light had begun to dapple through the trees, splotches of gold sun illuminating her.
"I'm assuming you know the way? I wouldn't think Sesshomaru's stronghold would be easy to find…" her voice held an unsure note, she curled a lock of dark hair around her finger with her lip pulled nervously between her teeth.
"From what I can recall, it's more of a city, really, in its own right." His gaze narrowed as he remembered the streets, crowded with a mix of Yokai, lined with vendors and shops of all sorts. Many years had gone by since he'd ventured into such territory. The last memory he had there had not been a pleasant one.
Her eyes widened a bit in surprise, her only black eyelashes fluttering prettily.
"I… I don't know why I expected any less." She shook her head with a dark chuckle, hair lifting with the breeze. "We should go. The others need to be filled in…"
Kagome turned to walk back the way she had come, slowly picking her way over rocks and tree roots until she'd made it to the path. He couldn't help but lag behind, frozen in place for a moment as he had lost himself in thought.
"Coming?"
She called over her shoulder, turning just barely so the light reflected off her face in a way that seemed too beautiful.
"Yeah, right behind you, princess."
Mamoru snapped back into the moment, leaping to catch up so that he could walk beside her.
When the pair walked back up the hill towards Kaede's hut, they met Sango and Miroku who walked out to greet them.
"So, what's the plan then?" The monk asked cheerfully. His voice always reminded Kagome of a radio host, it was deep and commanding of attention.
Mamoru shot her a glance, then sunlight bouncing off of his blue-black hair. In that split second of eye contact a wordless message seemed to pass between them, and he immediately began to address her friends.
"We head west. Kagome has had a vision, and it seems InuYasha needs to be fetched." He'd arched a dark brow, his tone sarcastic and yet completely stony at the same time. He was a marvel at that.
Sango's black eyes snapped onto her, her eyebrows drawn together as her expression turned to one of shock. There was a glimmer of betrayal there, and Kagome felt it jabbing at her like the sharp end of a blade.
"A vision, huh?" The Taijiya's tone was just as cutting as her gaze. "I knew something happened last night. Thanks for trusting me." She had taken a page out of Mamoru's book, her last sentence practically dripping with sarcasm.
Before Kagome could even say anything Sango had turned on her heel, storming off back inside the small hut.
"Hey, wait!" She tried in vain to call out, knowing the girl would just ignore her.
Mamoru and Miroku shared a pointed look, the air at once becoming thick and uncomfortable.
"Should we-?" The monk began, the bells on his staff jingling as he gestured vaguely away.
"Yes, my thoughts exactly." Mamoru nodded, and the pair of them hurriedly scurried off, leaving her alone.
A heavy sigh escaped her
Why did it feel like someone was always upset with her?
No matter what she did or how hard she tried, it was impossible to satisfy everyone. That hard truth sunk like a stone to the pit of her belly, weighing there heavily.
Tall grass swayed around her calves, dry and rustling as the wind swept over the hills. It lifted her hair along with it, long black ribbons flowing over her shoulders that seemed to sag with defeat.
She cursed to herself, a rare, but not completely uncommon occurrence. After all, spending so much time around InuYasha she couldn't help but to pick up on at least a few bad words.
Finally, she trudged up after the girl. Her mouth set in an uneasy line, but she set herself on making amends nonetheless.
They set out on their journey that very same day.
Led by Mamoru, they were making good time. It should only take them two days or so to reach the coast, and from there the rest of the way was cake. The Tatsu Yokai fit seamlessly into their group. He seemed much more at home in this world than the one they had come from, more relaxed now that he could drop the guise of a bored teenager with way too much disposable income on his hands.
Following the worn dirt road they made their way through another village, catching many stares and gawkers as was per usual. They were a strange lot, tossed together by chance and surely were a surprise to the humble people they passed. Kagome was used to it, the only thing off was that instead of InuYasha leading them, it was now Mamoru.
The thought sent a deep pang of pain through her chest. The loneliness his absence left was a crow sitting on her shoulder, pecking ruthlessly at her heart. It tore flesh with its beak and cawed out woes that echoed in her ears.
She swallowed thickly, trying to focus on keeping one foot in front of the other. As her teeth worried at her dry lips idly, she tried to remind herself that they would be together again soon. If she could just speak with him, just hear his voice once to know he was okay, that would ease her pain. Silently, she cursed the feudal era for its lack of cellphone towers and technology. All of this confusion and heartache could have been avoided with a simple phone call. And in that moment she would have given anything for just that. To hear the warm baritone of his laugh as it spilled over her skin like honey, to know that he was waiting for her return.
But instead she had the low crunch of the dirt beneath her sneakers, the snippets of the wind as it fluttered through the trees around them. It was a cold, empty replacement that did nothing for the ache she felt in her spirit.
They were on a slow march across Japan, headed straight towards Sesshomaru's compound, and with luck, her beloved. With no small measure of patience, she would find him again. That much she was willing to bet on.