Kagome slowly pushed her shopping cart through the aisle. She was feeling better over the last few weeks, the pills she had been taking had really knocked her out at night, and it seemed like that was just what her body needed. She was feeling much stronger, much more in control, and much less like a whiny, selfish brat. She smiled to herself.
"Hormones," she thought. "That's all it was." That, and the need to stabilize them with large amounts of chocolate. She really had to start taking better care of herself like Dr. Myouga said. She looked thoughtfully at her list, and tossed a package of steak into the cart next to the lettuce.
She was happy to be entertaining tonight; she and Miroku hadn't seen their friends in over a month. It always amazed her how wrapped up they all could get in their own lives, and never stop to visit with each other. Before Sango had the baby, she and Naraku were over at least once a week. And Miroku's best friend Inu Yasha was almost impossible to pin down these days, since his fiancé Kikyo got a modeling contract that took her (and by association, him) to Europe quite often.
So today Kagome was happy. She hadn't had a nightmare in a few weeks. Sixteen days, to be exact. And tonight she was making steak and baked potatoes and salad for six people. But she forgot the green peppers, she thought to herself, so she swung her cart around and headed back to the produce section. She grabbed a loaf of Italian bread from a display and before she could look up again had run her cart smack into someone.
"Oh God, I'm sorry..." Kagome began, but her apology died in her throat.
"Yeah, thanks," the tall figure replied. She got a glimpse of his eyes before he spun on his heel, his long silver hair fanning around him like a shield, and they were tinted with a surprising amount of anger. There were only two people in this city with that crazy beautiful hair: Inu Yasha and his brother, Sesshomaru. Inu Yasha, wanting his heritage to blend in a little more seamlessly, always wore his long, almost white locks braided tightly, but his Sesshomaru took full advantage of his hair, using it as a distraction, a weapon, and to some even, an oddity.
"And hello to you too, Sesshomaru. You act like I ran over your mother or something!" Kagome thought, feeling strangely irritated. "I only bumped him with my cart." She rarely saw Sess anymore, seeing as Inu Yasha moved out of their small bachelor pad and into an apartment with Kikyo almost three years ago. She knew that Sesshomaru was an introvert and would just as soon walk through you than acknowledge you. He was always more interested in mechanics than people, and when Inu Yasha had shared the small apartment with him, the kitchen table and surrounding areas were usually littered with computer components, wires, pieces of unidentifiable metal, and of course, pizza boxes. Inu Yasha hated to cook. Pizza and Ramen Noodles were the extent of his well-developed tastes
Still, there was always something about Sesshomaru that made her skin tingle. Not sure if it was a good tingle, or more like a crawl, but he had an effect on Kagome that tended to confuse her.
"That's when he decided to dump the whole glass on my lap. So yeah, I was late."
The group burst into laughter as Sango bent over to set the small child back onto the floor. He looked up at his mother, beaming with just enough mischievousness to take credit for the whole milk spilling accident. He tottered away after Kirara, trying in vain to catch the poor kitten's tail. Naraku gently grabbed his hand, giving the cat a few moments lead-time to get under the couch before becoming a squeak toy for Kohaku.
Kagome got up and cleared some plates from the table as Inu Yasha brought out the pictures from their most recent visit to France. Kagome ran the water in the sink and she looked out over the island at her friends sitting around the table. She could hear the awe in Sango's voice as she flipped through the pictures, since she had never been anywhere but Tokyo in her entire life. The warm water ran soothingly over Kagome's hands and the voices from the table started to blend together into a rhythmic lull of laughter and low humming. For a moment Kagome leaned into it, relaxing and closing her eyes, but all of a sudden she realized something was wrong.
Her eyes flew open in a panic and she tried to move, but found herself feeling almost drugged and not in control of her body. She opened her mouth to call Miroku but nothing except her breath escaped her lips with a quiet sigh. She felt as though she were dreaming, yet still standing in her kitchen, hearing Kikyo's musical laughter as Inu Yasha reached over and grabbed her playfully. It was as though she were no longer standing there, they couldn't see her or hear her, and she couldn't move. She fought to control her fear. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt as though she was falling.
Kagome landed in grass and dirt and darkness. She sat very still for a moment and tried to adjust her eyes to the night. She was outside and she heard the sounds of birds and insects. And she also didn't feel alone. She carefully stood and tested her legs; they seemed to be obeying her now. Kagome put her hand out in front of her and took a few steps. She felt leaves softly brush her cheek, then came to a very large tree. Once she stepped around it she saw flickering orange light and thought she heard voices.
She walked gingerly over the dry leaves, trying desperately to be quiet. She wasn't sure what brought that instinct out in her, but she felt as though she had been here before and it was critical that she be quiet.
"Been here before?" she asked herself. "I don't ever remember going camping."
And with that thought, she saw them. She saw herself and Miroku, and Inu Yasha, and Sango. They were sleeping around a fire. She was wrapped in a sleeping bag next to Sango. And Miroku and Inu Yasha were leaning up against tree trunks, seemingly asleep. Everything was believable up to that point, but then she saw Kirara. And stumbled backward, almost cracking her head on a low hanging branch. She turned around and ran as fast as she could in the direction she came. But she still had no idea where she was. And no idea at all how to get back to her kitchen. She began to really lose it, when she felt the ground beneath her begin to shake.
Then movement erupted from both directions, as she heard 'her' group begin to react to the shaking. And she felt as though something terribly large and ominous was approaching her from the other direction. She backed up until she was right up against a large tree and put her hands over her ears.
"This isn't really happening, I'm not really here." She desperately tried to reassure herself, but to no avail. Suddenly it felt as though all the air was ripped from her lungs, and she was lifted like she was nothing and tossed in the air. Her arms flailed wildly, searching for something to break her fall. She saw blinding white light, then darkness. Then she heard voices.
One voice was so familiar. But then her head began to pound, as though the very act of thinking would cause it to simply explode. Mercifully, she didn't feel the floor as she slid down the front of the overflowing sink and landed solidly on her head in a puddle.
"No, I told you, I'm fine!" Kagome said. Miroku had moved her to the living room couch. Sango and Kikyo were in the kitchen cleaning up the water on the floor and Kagome was looking up in turn at Miroku, Inu Yasha, and Naraku, who were all studying her with concern.
Naraku sat in a chair and put his hands behind his head. "You know, Sango passed out on me once. Scared me pretty bad, too. Turned out she was pregnant."
Kagome wasn't sure whose mouth fell open furthest, and the house went silent. Even the cat seemed to look at her with curious eyes, as she probably wondered what it would be like to have a monster run behind her trying desperately to eat her tail every single day, instead of just when they had company. She mewed pitifully and slithered under the couch.
"Thanks so much for coming everyone, it's been a wonderful night, let me get your coats." Kagome remarked, as she tried to get off the couch.
"Whoa there. Don't go scaring the guests, sweetheart." Miroku said with a wink.
"Kagome, you don't think..." Sango began.
"No, actually, I don't." Kagome finished for her
Kikyo looked nervous. She was probably wondering what she would do if she suddenly found herself pregnant. Her modeling career would come to a screeching halt. Inu Yasha took that opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist possessively and add a well-timed comment.
"Can't wait for Kikyo to decide to pop out a puppy for me. I'd like to have two or three of them myself. As soon as she gets the whole modeling thing out of her system."
Kagome cringed and Sango hid behind her in mock fear as Kikyo went from a smiling fiancé to a Martial Arts Professional, and took the very same arm that was a moment ago wrapped safely around her waist, and lighting fast had it bent painfully behind Inu Yasha's back. He let out a squeak that said he definitely wasn't prepared for her reaction.
"WHAT? I said when you were done." He cried.
Kikyo gave his arm another wicked little push and he fell silent. The only way to reason with her when she's like this, he quickly decided, was to shut up.