Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Empty Catharsis
When Kagome finally managed to open her eyes to the soft light of dawn, she did not know where she was. Resting on a soft bed of moss and leaves, with pots of herbs scattered about the space around her, and sweet-smelling incense leaving trails of smoke to hang about her face and make the air musty and thick.
She was in the forest still, of that she could be certain, but her clothes were as dry as when she'd put them on -odd, in the face of the fact she'd so recently taken an unwanted dip in the chilled waters of the river-, and the trees all leaned close in the dappled light that kissed at her cheeks with leaves that barely brushed her flesh in the breeze, as if waiting to hear the hushed mumblings of her sleep.
A soft, feminine voice filtered through the trees toward her then, sounding soothing in it's ominous warning. "I was waiting for you to cry out once more in your sleep; a pity I could not rid of you of your head to silence you. Tell me, Miko: Why is it that you call out for The Ookami-Heika in your sleep? Why do you whisper the names of the long dead as if they are dear friends rather than legend and myth? Speak quickly, mortal, less your answer be the last words you ever utter."
Kagome turned her head toward the voice, blinking languidly though she could not see her companion. Strangely enough, Kagome felt no fear at the threat, or the idea of laying so helplessly within a predators grasp; she'd danced along the edges of fate before and she'd slipped through the veil of death enough times to accept the idea of departing into that forever world of pinks and power with little hesitation. "Because I am a legend that the world should never have forgotten."
Note: I apologize for not getting a chapter posted yesterday; I had to be taken to the ER so I wasn't in any fit shape to be doing anything beyond sleeping once I was discharged. Now if you all would excuse me: I just awoke from a 12 hour nap, and feel as if I need another one.