Author's Note: I know, its been forever since I've updated, and I'm so so sorry! But I'll make it up to you guys, I swear! This chapter really starts to head everything in the right direction. I'm super excited for you all the read this chapter, so review please!
The dream won't leave her. Every night, she wakes up, a scream choking her throat. It is the same. Kikyo is always looking past her. Kagome turns and find herself nose to nose with Naraku. The terror she feels each time is so real, she wakes up before she even has the chance to scream. Tonight is no different. It always ends the same.
Sesshomaru stares down at the squirming Miko, sweat dripping from her forehead, worry lines appearing in the skin. He can feel her pain, her terror, her loneliness. He waits a few more seconds and just as her eyes shoot open, her her jaw dropping to scream, he is by her side, hovering over her so all she can see is him.
Kagome's eyes immediately focus, staring up at the silver-haired God in front of her. His face his blank, but his eyes read worried. He reaches out and brushes a finger against her chin and bottom lip. It's only for a moment, but it puts her completely at ease. She blinks rapidly and sits up slowly. She stares around yet another cave the group is holed up in. The had only four days of travel before yet another blizzard struck the snow-capped mountains. This time was different, though. Naraku was near, very near, and it struck fear into Kagome's very core.
"Miko."
"Hm?"
"You must cease these nightmares, there is no reason for such fear, no harm will come to you." He says, settling back against the wall.
"Sure, as if it's that easy. I mean, of course, it makes sense if you think of it that way. But it's not like turning a switch on and off." Kagome thinks to herself, sighing and watching the shadow of his profile flicker on the wall.
"It's not that easy. Kikyo came to me for a reason. I can't just tell myself to stop and it will stop. I think it's going to re-occur until whatever it is that's going to happen-"
"Nothing is going to happen." Sesshomaru says, cutting her off.
"Sesshomaru..."
"Miko."
Kagome sighs again, rubbing her forehead. He can't see past his own stubborn pride. He can't take into account that something could happen. Then what?
"Sesshomaru, if we don't make plans for if something should happen, and then something does happen, we'll be up a creek without a paddle!"
"I've never found myself in such a situation." He says, arrogantly inclining his head.
"Really. You've never let the fact that you think you know everything get in the way and cost you big time?"
Sesshomaru just merely stares at her. Kagome raises an eyebrow and looks pointedly at his missing arm. Sesshomaru looks down to where her eyes are and his eyes snap back to her. Though, what can he say? She's right.
"What do you propose then?"
"We need a strategy."
Sesshomaru stares at her, waiting.
"What, do I have to do all the work?"
"Do not rile yourself up, Miko. We will consider this later. Right now, you should be getting back to sleep. We will be able to travel again tomorrow."
Kagome cocks a brow and looks out toward the mouth of the cave where snow is blowing around as if they were in a snow globe. She then looks back toward Sesshomaru, opening her mouth to comment.
"Have faith, Miko."
When Sesshomaru is right, and it's actually not just being smug, he's generally always right. When Kagome awakes for the second time, it is early morning and the snow had stopped altogether. Sitting up in her sleeping bag, she stretches and looks around at the other members of their group. They're all up and getting read to leave. Sango and Miroku are packing things onto Kirara's back, but pause to greet Kagome and say good morning. They both know she has been having nightmares, each waking up to her screams every night.
"So, how did you sleep last night?" Sango asks, worry creasing her brow.
"I had the nightmare again."
"Oh?"
"We didn't hear you." Miroku says, surprised.
"Yes, well, Sesshomaru...erm...he was awake when I woke up so he uh..."
"Ahhh yes, no need to say any more, Kagome." Miroku says, grinning with an odd twinkle in his eye.
"What! It wasn't...what are you thinking?"
"Oh, Miroku, shut up." Sango says, rolling her eyes, patting Kagome on the shoulder.
"What, I didn't say anything! What two young lovers do in the middle of the night is not anyone's business but their own." Miroku says, his grin widening.
Kagome's mouth drops open, her shoulders drooping, mortified at what she's hearing. Upon seeing her best friend's reaction, Sango turns on her heel and glares at the offender. Miroku's eyes widen when he looks at her and he begins to back up, hands in front of him.
"Now, now, Sango, dear...you mustn't be too hasty...please?"
A loud slap rings through out the cave and Kagome grins, shaking her head at the sight of the red hand print on his face.
"Serves you right." Kagome says, hands on her hips.
"Miko."
"Eep!" Kagome screeches, visibly jumping into the air.
Kagome whirls around, staring at the Sesshomaru's chest. She holds a hand over her pounding heart and glares up at him, gasping in a breath of air. The guy may be a dog, but he walks around like a cat!
"Gods, Sesshomaru, you scared the life out of me!" Kagome says, breathing out a loud sigh.
Sesshomaru suddenly leans forward toward Kagome. His nose is inches away from the crook of her neck. A fierce blush spreads across her cheeks as she feels him...sniffing her. Her body immediately goes into overdrive, easily aroused.
"Hn. You are very much alive." Sesshomaru says, barely arching one brow at her.
Kagome's blush deepens even more, her mouth dropping open for probably the millionth time in the past few hours. A small squeak comes out, but that's all she can manage. Sesshomaru walks away, looking smug, and stops at the mouth of the cave.
"We are leaving."
Sango and Miroku start walking, Sango grinning and shaking her head at Kagome. They're both aware the demon Lord is courting their friend. They both know of the rituals that must take place and have seen signs here and there of it.
"C'mon Kagome!" Sango yells, walking out of the cave.
It was easy to track him down. His massive, evil aura permeates the section of mountain he's residing in. The group has stopped a good hundred feet away from where they think he is, but all they see is an icy mountain wall. Koga is pacing back and forth, shaking his head, antsy to start a fight. Sesshomaru is standing alone near the wall, seemingly staring into space. Kagome sighs and hurriedly runs to where Sango and Miroku are huddled, trying to shield herself from the harsh winds.
"He must be inside." Miroku says, moving to take the brunt of the winds at his back, covering the women in front of him.
"There's no way inside, though. We've circled dozens of times, the wolves have sniffed out every inch of the tunnels below, Sesshomaru has flown overhead, and there's nothing. It's as if he built the cave around himself." Sango says, teeth chattering slightly.
"Maybe we can lure him out?" Kagome says through clenched teeth.
"Us being here should have been enough to lure him out. No, he has some sort of twisted little game planned and he intends to have us play." Miroku says, staring past them at the mountain.
"That's it, I'm gonna start digging." Koga says, walking toward the wall.
"Koga, that's silly, it's dense stone! You can't just dig into it." Kagome says, stumbling toward him.
"Kagome, it pleases me that you're so worried." Koga says, grasping her trembling hands.
"No...wait, what?" Kagome asks, confused.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru is at Kagome's side, his sword drawn and hovering over Koga's arms. His eyes are as cold and stony as the mountains surrounding them. Koga's hair stands on end as his aura washes over him.
"Remove your hands from her."
"Okay, okay, sheesh, calm down." Koga says, dropping her hands quickly and stepping away.
"Alright while we're here, let's have a chat then. Like normal, civilized adults...well, as civilized as possible." She says, pointedly staring at the two men in front of her.
"I'm listening." Koga says, crossing his arms.
"Listen, we've been at this for hours, searching for a way in. Let's just hunker down for the night and think this through. There's a face not 50 feet away that can house us for the night." Kagome says, pleadingly, just wanting to get out of the bitter wind.
The two men nod and Koga trots off to let his pack know. Kagome sighs softly and turns to look up at Sesshomaru. He's staring at Koga's retreating form, eyes narrowed. Kagome rolls her eyes and pokes him gently on the chest. Sesshomaru looks down at her, as shocked as his stoic mask allows.
"You don't have to worry about him. He does that all the time. He knows there's no way I'd ever go for him."
"Hn."
"Well?"
"I forbid it."
"What?"
"He will not be allowed to do such things any longer."
"Sesshomaru-"
"Do you wish for him to touch you?"
"What! No!"
"Then next time he will lose his arms." Sesshomaru says, walking off toward the cave.
Kagome's shoulder's slump as she watches him, letting a puff of air out to blow her bangs out of her face.
Men.
That night, Kagome has the dream again. She's standing on the beach. Her sundress shifting with the wind against her legs. The snowflakes melting on her shoulder's. It's so real. Yet she knows it's not. But she can't change the course of the dream. She watches it, like a movie, knowing what's coming, yet the terror is still there.
Sesshomaru watches Kagome squirm, tossing and turning. He watches the bead of sweat slip down her neck to her collar bone, underneath her shirt. He finds himself mesmerized by it, almost jealous of the sweat. He mentally scoffs at himself for thinking such things. Just as he is about to wake her up, to soothe her as he does every night, a small blue ball of light floats into the cave. Sesshomaru stands up, immediately drawing his sword, but feels nothing menacing coming from it.
Is that...a soul?
Just then, an arrow slices through the air, slicing into his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. It's purity singes his flesh and stings. He glares, staring out into the darkness, not needing to know who shot the arrow.
The dead priestess.
He tries to turn his head to wear Koga lay, but finds himself unable to move. He can't even blink. His eyes, able to move, look down at his immobile limbs, silently cursing. He looks toward Sango and Miroku who are both fast asleep still, then to Koga who is merrily snoring away, surrounded by his pack who are all asleep. He can't open his mouth. He can't warn them.
Suddenly, the soul descends upon Kagome, covering her. She stands up, eyes looking vacant as Kohaku's do. His golden eyes dart to her, an unknown feeling rising in his gut. He stares at her, wanting to reach out to her, to wrap his arms protectively around her.
"You did not heed my warnings. There is no turning back, now." A whisper in his mind says.
Sesshomaru watches, helpless, as Kagome begins to walk out of the cave. He eyes the arrow in his shoulder. He wills his shoulder to move, wills even his pinkie to move, but nothing happens. He looks back toward Kagome, his keen eyes seeing her even in the darkness. She's walking toward the mountain wall he was inspecting earlier. Something had seemed off about it, but by touch and scent it seemed normal. He watches as she reaches the wall and lifts her hand, a pink glow emanating outward. The image blurs and fades, revealing a mountain passage.
A barrier. I should have known. I am a fool.