Chapter Two - The Dream

The Sun was reaching the horizon. Nightfall was minutes away. The five of them had just set camp and settled around a toasty campfire.

"Kagome!" Shippo squealed.

"Feh, took you long enough. What'd you bring to eat?" Inuyasha inquired. Kagome started to search through her bag.

"Uh… we've got four cups of noodles, rice, and fish." She said. Inuyasha seemed pleased enough.

After dinner, the adventurers set camp in a nearby village.

"I sense a demonic aura surrounding this village's walls." Miroku informed the villager.

"Really? All I sense is a lecherous monk." Songo whispered jokingly to Kagome.

Luckily, they were given permission to sleep in the Emperors palace. Late at night, after Miroku had finished "cleansing" the palace, the six travelers fell sound asleep.

***

It was all the same, yet different. More intense.

Naraku was fully cloaked by his baboon hide. We were all together, already weakened by the battle. Songo, throwing her boomerang, was intercepted by one of Naraku's newly formed limbs, forcing it in the opposite direction. The sound of wood splitting was unmistakable in the background. Soon after, the earth started shaking. The ground from under us started drifting apart, and we all jumped out of the way. There was now a heated substance filling the gap between us. Before I could say anything, I was too distracted by falling rocks. I turned in curiosity, only to find Sesshoumaru towering over me. I'd jumped, though I was less surprised then our last encounter. He hadn't even bothered glancing over to Inuyasha this time. His eyes were concentrated solely on mine.

My body was paralyzed. As I looked around, the atmosphere around us started to fade black, until only Sesshoumaru and I were left. I was about to speak, but my voice was broken. I didn't know what was happening. I could feel my throat clearing in time for a voice in the distance.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha shouted. That's when she woke up.

***

In a pool of sweat, Kagome pulled her upper body up and started gasping for air. She was overwhelmed, the dream felt too real to her. After about a minute she returned to her normal state, still shocked at her repetitive nightmare. Her nerves wouldn't go away so she decided to go for a walk.

She'd been wandering the forests for hours now, denying that she knew that she was lost. Maybe I should wait it out until the morning, she considered. It was at that moment she saw the glow of a figure crossing a field almost half a mile away. Kagome started to sprint in that direction when her sight was almost clear. She was calling towards the unknown being, hoping to gain its attention. Shortly after, she noticed two separate outlines behind the original one, possibly less then half as tall as the tallest one. Getting closer, nearly fifty feet away, Kagome fell dead in her tracks, taken aback when her eyes were able to depict the stature of Lord Sesshoumaru, followed by a timid Rin and her companion Jaken.

She'd just stood there, not surprised nor afraid. Maybe it was the dreams, or the fact that he hadn't intimidated her in there last meeting, but Kagome hadn't felt scared of Sesshoumaru at all right now. The three of them stopped immediately, Jaken stumbling as the others stood still. Rin hid fearfully behind Sesshoumaru. There was a long pause.

"Jaken." He called

"Yes, Milord?" Jaken answered.

"Take Rin someplace safe." Lord Sesshoumaru informed him.

"Yes M'lord." Jaken said "Come along, Rin."

There was a pause again. Sesshoumaru was considering what he was going to say.

"Is my half-brother nearby?" He asked

"N-no. They've all gone to sleep." I probably should've been as wise as he was in considering how to word what I was going to say. For all I know, this could be his opportune moment to attack. Instead, he stayed as he was. I guess he was relieved. Even though he wasn't afraid of Inuyasha, he didn't want there to be the slightest chance of Rin getting hurt. That's what was interesting about him. Most of the time, Sesshoumaru's been politer to Rin than Inuyasha's been to me. I quickly glanced over to his right, noticing a white fleece detachment coming from Sesshoumaru's garment. He didn't seem to mind.

"Sesshoumaru?" I asked. I waited for a response, but didn't get one.

"Why haven't you killed me yet? You've tried to before."

He'd thought about this. Something about him changed; his eyes became harsher.

"I could, you know." He'd advanced slowly, "It would be quick and painless." I'd chosen not to move back. He'd said this not as a threat, but to prove a point.

He'd stopped a few feet away now. We were still facing each other. Sesshoumaru looked confused about something.

"Why do you not cower like you had in the past?" He requested.

I flinched at this question. I wasn't entirely sure myself, though it stroke me odd that he would care to ask me that.

"It's...different now." Was all I could manage. He seemed as if he understood, though I wasn't completely sure of it myself. He assessed my answer and turned around to join Rin and Jaken.

I walked back hoping that I might be able to find the village.

I couldn't help but turn back to look at him once more before residing back in the palace.

***

The night was at its darkest. Kagura was pacing around her last village Naraku sent her to search before returning. As she was about to give up her search, Kagura rummages around the Palace, finding Inuyasha, Kirara, Miroku, Songo, and Shippo in a deep sleep. Now's my best chance, she thought to herself. She withdrew her fan from her kimono and readied her attack.

"Kagura…" A voice called in the corner.

"Hmm?" She said.

From the shadows Naraku emerged, masked in his usual fur outfit.

"Relinquish your weapon." Naraku demanded "You will not resort to such a cowardice kill."

Kagura disagreed, though it wasn't her place to defy Naraku now. She reluctantly put away her fan.

"I have greater plans to kill Inuyasha," Naraku confessed. "Give it time, my incarnation."

The sound of floorboards creaking followed closer to their room. Upon hearing this, Naraku disappeared from the shadows he had before appeared from. Kagura looked down at her prey.

"We'll meet again." She told Inuyasha, following Naraku's departure.

After hearing the disturbance, Kagome entered the room she had left earlier. Everyone was sound asleep.