Oh, Hi, all.

Just a few things to say.

This story is not nearly hitting it off as well as Entertainment did, but of course this is expected. Ah well, we can't always be successful.

Thanks to all of my faithful readers that went from Entertainment to this story. I really appreciate your honesty and your reviews!

Well, with that said, on with more writing.

Something Akin to Fear

Chapter Three

Sweet Dreams

By the end of the third day since Kagome was snatched away from Kaede's little village, she is completely and utterly sore. She can feel the raw skin on the inside of her thighs from their continuous riding, and her stomach growls for more than the strange tasting jerky the hoods keep feeding her. She never sees them eat, however, which is really unnerving, but she never dwells on that for long. In fact, she never dwells on anything for long anymore.

Jolting upon the demon horses' bare back in a very unladylike manner, Kagome tries to dive into her own mind to block out the discomforting pain and the statues called hoods riding in front of her.

Unfortunately, as fate would have it, she is not allowed any comfort… or any obliviousness either. She would have chosen at this point to be a blonde American, blissfully unaware of the danger of the situation… but alas, such things are not allowed.

So, she was relieved when suddenly the horses all slide to a rocky stop… until she realizes that her inertia is carrying her forward and she finds herself rocketing over a thick neck and high held head, tumbling to the ground in a flurry of flailing limbs and hurtled insults.

There is a sickening thud as she lands chest first on the ground, sliding a few inches before stopping in a cloud of dust. She cannot decipher if it is the wind knocked out of her from her awkward land that causes her to cough, or if it is the dust, but she gets the sneaky suspicion that it is a bit of both.

Ignoring the two hoods standing on either side of her, she stands up shakily, as soon as she regains her regular breathing, with only an occasional snuff and sneeze here and there. Narrowing her eyes at the both of them, she vacantly brushes off the dirt from her little school uniform and bare legs, ruffling her hair to make sure it is also free from debris.

From the corner of her eyes she watches the hoods peer at each other, it would seem, and then a soft sound is heard aloud. Snickering. Snickering? Snickering! Why those insufferable, intolerable, uneducated, ungentlemanly, undignified…She continues to ramble on in her mind before sniffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

She makes a snorting sound and turns her back to the two while taking a few steps away from them. When she finally looks forward, however, she nearly screams in her fright. She gasps instead and falls into a coughing fit as she stumbles away from the figure in front of her.

He stands taller than the other two hoods but the most obvious difference is the fact that his hood is down, and it reveals a startling sight. For this... man… creature thing standing before her is everything but handsome.

In the back of her mind, Kagome can hear the theme song from some scary movie that she cannot place… but her mind wanders aimlessly down a path of fear as she takes in his features.

Long, stringy black hair hangs around his shoulders, looking oddly greasy and messy. His tendrils of hair frame an extremely thin face that looks worse for wear, sickly pale skin gleaming in the moonlight.

The shallow spots where his cheeks should be full and puffy like every other human being cast shadows to his slightly pink lips, which are contorted in a very … unfriendly smirk directed towards her.

Unconsciously she takes another step back, her eyes going wide, and this time she does scream. His arm shoots out to her, a long hand enclosing the upper part of her left arm. For a moment she feels nothing but the pressure of his icy cold hand against her warm flesh, and then something electric seems to snake up her arm and envelope her body.

She blinks, trying to clear her mind, even as she feels her body falling down… down… down into an endless spiral casting her into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness. I'm going to die…Is her thought right before her body goes limp in the arms of that nasty creature, his bloody red eyes boring into her soul.

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Note to self: Next time some freaky creature guy attempts to hold onto you, don't let him. Kagome refuses to open her eyes yet, focusing instead on the incredibly uncomfortable slab of stone that seems to be jabbing into every part of her body.

Sigh. What a troublesome matter. She goes to shift her position, hopefully to make herself more comfortable, and freezes completely when she realizes a few things.

Okay…She opens her eyes slowly and stares at the dark ceiling above her, its high arch into the air seemingly entrancing. Then, dragging her eyes from the ceiling to her surroundings, she gulps.

Alright… I have a bunch of creepy creature men standing around me… while I am … tied down… to this stone slab table thing…She tugs at the ropes binding her wrists and ankles to separate metal rings that jingle maliciously when she moves them.

Her position is a bit undignified, with her arms and legs spread out to leave her no decency. Well, that and the fact that she feels almost naked, with a cool breeze shifting over her bare skin and rolling down her sides.

The white strip of cloth tied around her chest is the only cover her breasts have from the red eyes of those watching her. Her bottom half is not much better, with only a loin cloth looking thing strapped about her hips, the loose fabric falling to conceal her more… feminine features.

Groaning in resentment, she looks up at the ceiling once more, wondering what it is she has done to deserve such treatment. She feels her self conscious blush begin at her cheeks and spread down to her neck and over her chest like hot fire.

I'm nearly naked. The statement in her head is sardonic, echoing within her and consuming her every thought with its very existence. I'm nearly naked. What on Earth could they want with a nearly naked…woman…Oh no.

She grinds her teeth together, her heart picking up speed as she begins to wrestle with her bindings ferociously, the ropes biting into her soft skin and drawing blood already. She was definitely not giving in to this one. If they want her that way, they were going to get one hell of a fight.

And, as if to fuel her fire, a hand lands on her stomach, pushing her back down onto the biting cold stone. She can not decide which is icier, the hand or the stone slab she is laying on. The voice that comes forth, however, terrifies her more than anything.

"To our Lord, with worship to thee, we offer a virgin in sacrifice to continue his long lasting rule." The deepness of it engulfs her, drowning her in its thickness and honesty.

Sa-sacrifice? Her mouth runs dry and her eyes open wider to gaze at the stringy haired man from before. He seems a tad bit different, however, and she quickly notes that this is due to the fact that all he is wearing is a loincloth of his own, his sickly pale skin as ugly as the spindly shape of his body.

Numerous tattoos decorate his body, some intertwining and connecting in tribal like designs. Kagome can only guess at how they have made these tattoos, because they do not have the convenience of modern day machines… being in the Feudal Era.

Shivering, she looks away, trying to focus on anything and everything but the sickly man hovering over her with a wicked looking dagger in one hand and his icy other pressing into her stomach to hold her down and keep her from struggling.

"In darkness and in light, roam the world with harbored hatred, drink of her blood to stay in the realm of the living, forever to rule our kind. Bestow upon us the knowledge of thousands of years, in exchange for her life, and doom us not to Hell!"

Kagome closes her eyes, biting down on her lip to keep her cry from escaping her lips. This is the ending. I am going to die by the hand of this sick and ugly man as he rambles on to some Lord of his.

"Give us thy wisdom, Oh great Lord! By my hand your offering is dealt her final blow!" Kagome feels the hand leave her stomach and in some morbid fascination she turns her head to watch as both of his hands wrap around the hilt of that dagger, tossing it above his head as his cruel bloody eyes peer down at her form.

In slow motion she watches the blade come singing down, the tip fast approaching her chest, and it stops millimeters away from her body, the coldness of the blade radiating into her skin from the proximity of it.

The booming voice has startled all when it calmly drifts out over the crowd. It's simple command for the man to stop his execution seems to shaken the creature men that surround the little table and she can see, from the corner of her eye, how the massive crowd begins to part, allowing a lone figure to sweep through.

She dares not look at this newcomer, believing that if the one who had been about to execute her is so hideous, then this one who demands such obedience must be their 'Lord' and therefore even more disgusting then the rest of them.

It is the long tumbling brown locks that brush against her shoulder that gains her attention and makes her look out of curiosity. They are soft locks, and thick… shining in what little light that makes up the large room. A milky hand follows his hair, running down her arm and over her shoulder, to rest on her collar bone.

The jewels that rest upon that hand are many and large, winking at Kagome in some hypnotic way, causing her eyelids to flutter softly, her eyelashes fanning out over her cheeks with every blink.

The hand breaks away from her gaze as it moves to run through her tangle free glossy tresses, lulling her into a false sense of security as her head and eyes are turned upwards to meet a face that could rival that of many others.

His eyes are a vivid hue of red, like all of the others, but his complexion is not sickly or ghastly looking. In fact, to Kagome, he looks utterly perfect. His eyebrows are arched in perfect harmony with his high cheek bones and narrow nose.

His thin lips contrast with their rosy color, bringing out a tinge of pink within his cheeks, but one thing stands out clearly and confuses Kagome to the utmost extreme. Designs decorate his cheeks, spreading out to his earlobes and reaching down his neck to span over his chest and then down around his stomach to disappear beneath the hakama pants he wears.

His hand begins to wander again aimlessly over her body and suddenly, as if the feeling of rebelliousness has suddenly been transmitted into her body, her eyes narrow and she struggles against her bodings, startling the man out of his musings when she speaks.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" The man glances at the creature thing, who looks horrified, and then back down at Kagome with a highly amused glisten in his eyes.

"Untie her, Jack. Bring her to my quarters. She will not be the sacrifice for tonight." And with that, her unnamed savior is gone in a flurry of nothingness, leaving behind only the feeling of his fingertips upon her flesh.

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So… tell me what you think. Accept any criticism or however it's…spelled. I hope you like it so far. Ja Ne!