Chapter 1: Dream Warning

Dream Warning

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha. Life sux.

One Month Ago

Intro..

It was thirty days ago that it all began with a dream, a nightmare. I would like to blame everything that has happened since on that dream, that momentary vision seemingly borne out of the recesses of my mind, but really forced into my head without consent. I curse the one who shoved those images into my brain, burned them into my memory so that they haunted me, forcing me on a twisted course that ultimately led me to this moment, this decision.

...

Underneath the gentle rays of the sun, Kagome Higurashi was sleeping. But unlike the sky above, dazzling in shades of aquamarine complemented by white fluffy clouds, her sleep was anything but serene and peaceful. She tossed and turned as if the soft ground underneath her was made of jagged rocks instead of supple grass. She ran from unseen horrors, which chased her all over a nightmare world not of her subconscious' creation, although that wasn't obvious yet. In my dream, memories flashed before me; memories not my own.

Surrounded on all sides by a smothering darkness which allowed her only glimpses of a nightmarish world, she suffocated on pain, suffering and despair. In the dim light, she viewed people, demons, and a world of destruction where all life was trapped, individuality smothered. Everyone she knew and loved, from her annoying, but loveable, little brother Sota to her mother, her pillar of strength, to Inuyasha, the man she secretly cherished with all of her heart, were held in shackles, working for an unrevealed master. She longed to rip apart the chains with my bare hands, but even as she dove for them, they pulled further out of reach, evading her.

Then, when her dream finally slowed, the whirling miasma of chaos and shadow had dissipated, and she could force air into her aching lungs, the landscape faded away and was replaced with another. She stood in a field, deep in the crevices between two towering mountains. Despite the green grass and bright colored flowers, the field emanated evil. The red of the flowers looked to crimson, too much like blood. No animal sound, no chirping of birds, no rustling of deer or rabbits greeted her ears.

Though she could see no one, her instincts told me that she was not alone, and that whatever was watching her behind a twisted shrub or gnarled tree was not her friend.

"Show yourself," She commanded, hating the way her voice wavered slightly at the thought of what might answer in return. Fear coursed through her veins, smothering and gagging her. If she tried to speak, she knew that only hysterical screams would burst forth.

A cold laugh answered her, entirely devoid of warmth, emotion, feeling. "Not yet," the voice whispered, sounding so close she fought the urge to lash out, protect herself from this unknown horror.

Kagome shivered as the temperature dropped. The voice entered her mind, settling itself in there; repeating it's message over and over again. Chills ran through her body, as if icy fingers were shoving down into her bones, into her marrow. Somewhere, a silent and unseen threat lurked; close enough to touch, but far enough away that if she tried, she wouldn't be able to grasp it. She looked around for Inuyasha, looking for her haori-clad hero, her savior. If this was a true nightmare, why couldn't she conjure him out of her mind to save her from whatever monster her subconscious had conjured up.

Two conflicting voices raged in her head. One screamed that she needed to call out again, force the creature from its hiding place, and unmask the devil beyond the voice. The other defiantly argued, persuasively, that she run in fear across the valley and never look back. The voice spoke again, but this time the words were whispered across her brain, instead of being spoken aloud.

"I will see you again," the voice whispered to me. Something caressed her on the shoulder, and she spun toward it, instinctually, longing for an arrow in her hand, the pulse of magic familiar in her grasp.

..

With a start, Kagome awoke, immediately searching for some reassurance that she was not alone. Sure enough, sleeping beneath the pine trees were her friends. In the highest one, thirty feet off the ground, Inuyasha slept lightly, constantly vigilant for approaching dangers. His hair was especially radiant in the sun's rays, gleaming wherever the light hit him. With his eyes closed, she allowed herself a moment of dreamy appreciation, noting the way his haori, after several rounds of tossing and turning in not-so-peaceful slumber, clung to his shapely body, ever so slightly revealing the toned muscles concealed underneath. Her fingers clenched slightly, and she fought the urge to go over to him. After doing it for three years, she was used to controlling her urges around him, but it was getting harder. She was no longer a fifteen year old girl, craving innocent, sweet kisses and tender looks. I mean, she still wanted the kisses, and would be happy to claim them from his receptive lips, but she wanted more now.

Forcing her eyes upward, she stared at Inuyasha's face. It was unreadable, as usual, but a slight blush had crept up his cheeks. Kagome wondered what he was dreaming of. Was it her? The though echoed across her mind before she could stop it, and she grimaced. Thinking such thoughts wasn't going to get her anywhere. They had work to do, and her fantasies weren't going to be of any use in the real world.

Slowly her gaze traveled down the tree to the sleeping forms underneath it. Shippo was curled up near Kirara, dreaming about innocent, child-like things. Kagome wished that she could be a child again, where she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Although she'd loved every moment that she was in the feudal era, it was evident that the constant battles and wars had taken a toll on her. Even if she still started every day with a smile on her face, those tiresome emotions - fear, uncertainty - were constant companions with which she had learned to live. She looked down and gently traced the large jewel shard hanging around her neck, sparkling as the sun's rays hit it, wondering, once again, where their journey to complete it would end, or if they would spend the rest of their lives chasing it.

Sango, in her customary outfit huddled inside a sleeping bag, her face slightly hidden underneath the outer layers. Miroku sat a few feet away, searching for "inner peace" in meditation, his arms and legs crossed, his face blank and content. Kagome snorted lightly. Frankly, it seemed more like he meditated to plan even more ingenious and creative ways to invade Sango's personal bubble. Indeed, as if in answer to her thoughts, Miroku ever so slightly shifted his body, inching closer to the place where Sango lay on the ground. Kagome turned over slightly in her sleeping bag so that she could watch the scene unfold better. She had never seen Miroku so bold as to go for Sango while she was sleeping, but she supposed there was a first time for everything. For a few moments nothing happened, and then Miroku, ever so stealthily, edged closer and closer and closer..

"Touch me and you die, pervert," Sango's clear voice rang out from inside her sleeping bag. Miroku, startled, ended up losing his balance and sprawled backwards on the dirt, his hands extended in front of him to ward off the impending physical blows he knew were coming.

"Sango. I didn't realize you were awake," Miroku said finally, looking flustered for a moment before returning to his normal, composed and self-assured attitude. His face registered sincere disappointment for a moment before schooling itself back into its usual easy-going facade. Kagome's laughter rang out in the clearing before she could stop it, and she quickly clasped a hand over her mouth, trying to smother her giggles.

Sango, unfazed despite her incredibly rude awakening, unfolded herself from her sleeping bag, stretching her arms above her head in a yawn. When her glance caught Miroku's, she gave him her most chilling stare, to which he responded with an innocent and boyish smile. She rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to slap that grin off his face; something which she had to do far more often than she preferred. 'I suppose it's too early to start hitting him' she finally decided.

Turning her attention from the monk, Sango addressed Kagome.

"Kagome," Sango said, padding across the campground to give her friend a generous hug. When she stepped back, her smile disappeared from her face and eyes. "How are you?" "You look exhausted, aren't you sleeping well?" Sango asked, a worried look on her face.

"It's nothing," Kagome assured her, "Just a nightmare. Although," she noted, somberly, "It's the third time this week, and I still haven't figured out what it's trying to tell me."

"I'm sorry you've been having nightmares, Kagome, but they're unlikely to be anything more than dreams." Miroku advised. "Though, it isn't unheard of for Miko's to have premonitions of the future." His voice trailed off, momentarily. "But, I wouldn't worry too much. The future will arrive soon enough," he added quickly when he saw the worried look on her face.

She smiled wanly at him, appreciating his efforts to reassure her. Still, his words echoed forbodingly in her head. Premonitions? Kagome thought to herself. He must be joking, I'm nowhere near powerful enough to have that kind of magic. Besides everyone knows that people who can see into the future are rare, and those that could interpret it even rarer still. Oh well, why am I going on and on? It was just a stupid dream. I'll forget it soon enough.

But as much as she tried to convince herself that her nightmares were nothing more than figments of her imagination, she couldn't stop herself from shivering as she recalled the images, the voice, and the nightmarish touch that made her want to scrub her skin raw just to get rid of the feel of it. If it was just a bad dream, as Miroku insisted, it was one hell of a sick, twisted dream.

"Kagome! I'm hungry. Can you make me some food? You can hear my stomach growling," Shippo called out, running from where he was sleeping over to Kagome. He hadn't been paying attention to their conversation, preferring to let the adults deal with serious matters. But when he had failed to go back to sleep, he had decided that their discussion could wait until someone had fed him.

Kagome smiled tenderly at the little fox child. He constantly reminded her of her little brother, so innocent and sweet, never thinking about more than what was happening in the present. Although Sota was growing more and more, and was not turning into a fine young man whose good looks had all the ladies at school swooning. Sometimes she was tempted to go to school with a stick - a very, very, very large stick- and beat off the girls that fawned over her younger brother. Hadn't anyone told them that they just looked desperate?

"Kagome," Shippo was tugging at the sleeve of her pajamas.

"Sorry, Shippo," she said. "I just got distracted for a moment. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Eggs!" he said, excitedly," and toast, and jam!" He'd been thrilled with the strawberry jam she'd brought back with her from the modern era one time, so now she always made sure to get a jar of it whenever she went back home to restock.

"No problem. I'll have it ready in a minute. Anyone else?" She asked the group, who all responded with enthusiastic nods. There was no doubt about it. Kagome was the best cook of the group, and they never failed to exploit her culinary skills. Of course she didn't mind. It made her happy to do nice things for her friends. If only..

"Inuyasha," she called out, "would you like some eggs and toast?"

"Nah," came the expected response. "I'll just take some Ramen."

"Of course," Kagome muttered to herself, even though she knew that would be the answer. No matter how much time had progressed since she had first journeyed into the Feudal Era, some things never changed. Things like Inuyasha's obsession with Ramen.

Oh well, the one good thing about fighting with Inuyasha about meals was that it took her mind off the dreams that plagued her in the night. Being here, bantering with her friends, trying to coerce Inuyasha to eat some real food, was therapeutic, calming.

'A new day,' she assured herself. 'Today, things will be different.'

...

Hindsight is 20/20. If I had known what my wish would set in moment, I would have never have asked for things to be different. I would never have have begged and pleaded for change. If I could go back, I would treasure those simple moments, cherish those days when our biggest problems was what we were eating for breakfast. Nothing's that simple anymore. You know what they say - be careful what you wish for.

I learned that the hard way.

...

So what do you guys think? Is it awful or is it kind of good. Review please, I'd love to know what you think and any comments on how I can make it better. Thanx a bunch!