“Dream Eater”
by Mindmelda
Chapter Two:
Promise
“Inuyasha!” cried Sango as Miroku slumped to the ground, her arms still holding him.
Inuyasha was beside her in an instant. “What did you see?” he asked urgently.
“Nothing!” replied Sango. “There was nothing. One minute, he was sleeping peacefully and the next, moaning in pain, and then he became unconscious.”
Sango felt the pulse at his neck. It was beating rapidly and shallowly.
“He seems uninjured, in body, at least.” Sango could see no injuries, no rents in his robes, no blood.
“I have a feeling that whatever this is, it does not attack the body,” said Inuyasha.
Miroku moved his head to one side and tried to open his eyes.
“Don’t move,” said Sango. “You fainted. Are you in pain?”
“No,” he croaked. “Nightmare.” He closed his eyes again.
Inuyasha knelt beside him on one knee. “Do you know who or what is doing this?” he asked, shaking Miroku’s shoulder.
“No,” Miroku whispered. “Is this real?” He opened glazed eyes again.
“I can’t tell anymore,” he gasped. “Are you real Sango? You didn’t die this time?” He stretched out his fingers to touch her, to assure himself.
“Is that what you dream of?” she asked quietly.
“Every night,” he rasped, his throat dry. “Every cursed night.”
Kagome had come up behind them. “I’ll get him some water,” she said.
“We have to find out what is doing this!” said Sango. “A person cannot survive without sleep!”
“Already, he is confused,” said Inuyasha. “He looked at you as if you were a ghost.”
“A ghost?” Kagome’s voice came across the room. She brought over a dipper full of water and handed it to Sango. Carefully, she offered it to Miroku, who drank it slowly.
“Could a ghost cause these dreams he’s been having?”
Inuyasha looked up. “I don’t know. Maybe Kaede would know.”
“It would explain why we detect no demons,” said Sango.
“And why I cannot smell or hear anything,” said Inuyasha. He ran his thumb along his chin, thinking.
“Could a ghost use a jewel shard?” asked Kagome. They looked at her questioningly.
“Again, I don’t know that,” said Sango. Inuyasha shook his head as well. “Me neither.”
“Then, we must go back to Kaede’s village and ask her.”
“Who else would know?” asked Sango. “Kaede’s village is 4 days from here. I doubt Miroku could make the journey in his present condition.”
Inuyasha folded his arms and frowned. “I know one person who may know, but I doubt he’ll tell us.”
“Who?” asked Kagome.
“My brother,” said Inuyasha, reluctantly. “He knows all the lore of the Western lands. Not that he saw fit to pass it down to me, a mere half- breed,” he said in an aggrieved tone.
“Sesshomauru may know how we can help Miroku, then?” asked Sango.
Inuyasha nodded. “Yes and his castle is only a day from here, as near as I can tell.”
“Then we will go,” said Sango, resolutely. “We cannot let Miroku die.”
“Who will take care of him while we go?” asked Kagome. “He may not be able to go even one day’s journey.”
“I’ll stay,” said Sango. “After all, Kagome, it was your arrow that helped Inuyasha defeat Sesshomauru once, and my hirakotsu is no match for him. Take Keilala, though. She may be of use to you.”
Keilala mewed and went to stand by Kagome.
“It’s settled then,” said Inuyasha. “At dawn, we start the journey Sesshomauru’s castle.”
“Inuyasha, he’ll try to kill you!” said Kagome.
“He can try,” Inuyasha said, “He’s never beaten me!” He cracked his knuckles and grinned savagely.
“No,” said Miroku weakly. “I can’t let you do this,” he said. “It’s just a nightmare.”
“Be quiet, Miroku,” said Inyasha roughly. “I’m not afraid of my brother! Whatever this thing is, it’s killing you a little more each day. If we don’t find out what it is, we can’t fight it.”
“Besides,” said Sango thoughtfully. “It might start to attack the rest of us once it is through with you, Miroku. Had that not occurred to you?”
“No,” he said in a resigned voice. “I would not wish this on anyone else.”
“If I stay here with him, I may be able to discover something that may help,” said Sango.
“Kagome, Shippou and I will go,” said Inuyasha. Shippou was blessedly asleep, still curled inside Kagome’s sleeping bag.
“Perhaps Sesshomauru will help us willingly,” said Kagome. “After all, he’s no longer after Tetsuaiga, he has Tokijin, his own powerful sword, now.”
“Feh, don’t count on it,” said Inuyasha. “He’d as soon kill me as look at me and he has no love for humans, either. No, I’ll have to fight him and force him to tell me what we need to know.”
“Try asking him first,” pleaded Kagome. “ Respectfully, as an older brother. And he takes that human girl with him everywhere now. She looks well cared for. He must not hate humans as badly as you think.”
“Means nothing!” exclaimed Inuyasha.
“If you won’t ask him respectfully,” said Kagome, “I will!”
“You’re crazy!” said Inuyasha. “Don’t you go near him!”
“Don’t order me around!” yelled Kagome. “I can go where I want and talk to whomever I wish!”
“Stupid girl!” said Inuyasha, turning his back and crouching down in a sulk, twitching his ears in irritation.
“Oh, I’m stupid, am I?” she ranted. “I’m not the one who just starts attacking everyone for no good reason!”
“No good reason?” he shouted. “I have plenty of reason. He’s been trying to kill me since I was a pup. No good reason?” he repeated sarcastically.
“You don’t even try to make peace with him!” said Kagome.
“That’s because I don’t want to get killed!” Inuyasha said distinctly and slowly to her.
“Don’t talk to me as though I’m stupid!” yelled Kagome, walking off stiff backed.
“Fine! I won’t talk to you at all, how’s that?” he shouted after her.
“Will you two keep it down? I’m trying to sleep!” yelled Shippou, sticking his head out of Kagome’s bedding.
Inuyasha strode off, Kagome followed him, still arguing loudly.
Miroku had been watching this with weary eyes. Sango smiled at him. “Same old Inuyasha and Kagome,” she said.
He tried to smile back at her, but it flickered and died upon his lips.
“We’ll find out what’s causing these terrible dreams,” said Sango soothingly. “It will all be over soon.”
“Yes,” said Miroku under his breath. “It will all be over soon, one way or another.”
Sango looked anxiously into his eyes for a long moment.
“How ironic,” said Miroku, closing his eyes. “I always assumed Naraku’s curse would be the end of me, but it appears dreaming of that horrible end will accomplish the same thing.”
“NO!” said Sango, “You mustn’t think that!”
“I must think of it, Sango,” he said wearily. “I can think of little else.”
“I won’t let this happen to you,” she said softly. “I’ve lost everyone, and I can’t lose you too!”
He looked at her, raising his eyebrows slightly. “You must prepare yourself in case Inuyasha and Kagome fail. I can’t live this way much longer, without sleeping. I’ll be too weak to even stand before long and my mental strength will fail much sooner.”
She shook her head. “I won’t think that way. I can’t give up!” she said in despair. She clutched the front of his robes and buried her head into them.
“Sango,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I don’t wish to cause you more pain. That’s the last thing I desire.”
She looked up into his face. “It’s not your fault, you can’t help what is happening to you.”
“You’re so brave,” he said weakly. “You must try to be so a little longer.”
“I’ll try, houshi-sama,” she said in a choked voice.
“That’s my Sango,” he said quietly. “Thank you for staying with me, I don’t wish to be alone when..”
“That’s not going to happen!” she said fiercely, interrupting. “We must have hope they will succeed.”
“I’m so tired,” he said, almost inaudibly. “You must hope for me, my Sango.”
He closed his eyes and soon, he was asleep again.
Sango brought over a blanket to cover him and sat next to him under the tree. She wrapped her blanket around her and sat next to him.
“I won’t leave you again,” she said.
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