Disclaimer: I do not own any of the wonderful InuYasha characters created by Rumiko Takahashi, nor do I own any of the Greek gods listed within this story.
Nightmare
After a hot bath, Kagome headed to bed without bothering to check and see if Apollo and InuYasha had come back to the hut or not. She slipped into the futon, erected a sound, demon, and god proof barrier around the futon and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. That dreamless sleep did not last very long…
She and InuYasha were in an open field, enjoying the day and each other's company. They lay on the soft grass, watching the fluffy white clouds float by. She intertwined one of her hands with his, and for once he didn't pull away. "I could get used to this" she thought as she closed her eyes. A shadow across her face caused her to open her eyes. The sky was turning black. She turned to look at InuYasha, but he was no longer there. Kagome sat up, a feeling of dread starting to creep over her. The sky was now pitch black, but not from the loss of light. The sun was being blocked by thousands of demons, all headed towards her. She jumped to her feet and thought her bow into existence. 'Where is everyone? I can't defeat this many demons alone!' She started to panic when she saw Naraku and his deadly purple miasma moving towards her across the field. "Miko! You are mine!" he roared, and vanished. Cold arms wrapped around her from behind, trapping her arms and causing her weapon to disappear. She couldn't move as Naraku began to squeeze tighter. "You are mine and I will not let you escape!" he hissed as Kagome struggled against him. The grassy field morphed into a muddy swamp filled with purple miasma. The muck that was a combination of mud and Naraku's misshapen body pulled at her, dragging her slowly down. She tried to use her Miko powers, but couldn't. "InuYasha, help me!" she cried as her body slowly sunk into the poisonous glop. Tears were rolling down her face as she struggled. As darkness started to overtake her, she heard him call "Kagome, I'm here". She fought harder against the pull of the swamp mud. "I…can't…get…away…where are you?" She cried. Clawed hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her out of the muck Strong arms gathered her up and swiftly carried her to safety. "I'm here, Kagome. I'll protect you. I'll always protect you." He murmured into her hair as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Her face calmed as she sighed and snuggled closer into his warmth. The swamp was gone, replaced once again with a grassy field. The sky went back to a brilliant blue peppered with fluffy white clouds as the nightmare started to fade.
Kagome felt warm and safe. She snuggled into the warm body behind her. "Wow! What a way to end a nightmare!" she thought "Wait! Warm body?" her eyes flew open and she noticed a red clad arm around her waist. "How did InuYasha get in the bed?" she wondered. "I placed a demon proof barrier around it before I fell asleep. Oh well. Guess I'll enjoy it while I can" She rolled over so she was facing her hanyou, wrapped her arms around his waist, tucked her head under his chin, and fell back to sleep.
Kagome woke with a start when her amulet started tingling. It took a moment for her to realize where she was. "I guess I didn't dream InuYasha getting through my barrier." She thought as she carefully loosened his hold on her waist. She felt her amulet tingling again as she climbed off the futon, careful not to wake the exhausted hanyou with her movements. She quickly and quietly dressed in a blue training yukata before exiting the room. "I'm not ready to see anyone yet today. Thank Kami no one is up yet." She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered the outer rooms were empty. Dawn was breaking, bathing the area in golden and orange rays as she hurried off the porch and into the forest to meet with the Greek god who had summoned her.
When she was sure no one was around, Kagome created her special barrier with assistance from the amulet. Within 5 minutes, a flash of blue light revealed Hephaestus. "Kagome! Glad you got the signal!" He grasped her hands in his. Kagome blushed. "It's good to see you again, Hephaestus." "Please, call me Hef" he flashed a brilliant smile. "Okay.. Hef." She blushed again and looked down at her feet. "Well, down to business." He still held her hands. "Zeus and I have been observing your training and saw what happened." She looked up at him, guilt and anger over her reaction to the fight flashed in her eyes. "How much did you see?" She asked. "We saw it all." Kagome was embarrassed. "I can explain. It's just the two of them were fighting and I got mad and..." She tried to explain but Hef cut her off. "Kagome, enough. You were justified in your actions." She looked at him in confusion. Hef continued. "They interrupted your training, which made you mad. Unfortunately, the same thing will keep happening until you succeed in your mission." He paused to pull her hands to his chest, causing her to blush even deeper than before. "Zeus and I want to help you get through this, so we had Aphrodite create a potion that will help you control your anger." A blue bottle shaped like a pyramid appeared in the air next to them, rotating and catching the early morning light. It sparkled like nothing Kagome had ever seen. She was enticed by its' beauty. "Why would she do that for me?" Kagome asked. "She wants you to succeed in your quest." He replied as he brought her hands to his lips for a kiss. Kagome blushed again while trying to remove her hands from his. "I don't know, Hef. I want to talk to my pack before I decide." She looked at the ground. "This feels wrong." she thought to herself. She had no time for other thoughts as Hef grabbed her wrists in one hand and pulled her close. A small gasp escaped her lips. "What are you doing?" she started to struggle. "I'm trying to help you" he held her tight as she fought him. "Just let me place a drop on your lips and your anger will go away." He opened the bottle and lifted the dropper, moving it towards her lips. Kagome pulled as far back as she could, leaning her head back and away from the stopper. "I did it again! I can't get free, and no one knows I left the hut so no one will come and save me!" Kagome's thoughts were becoming frantic. "I don't want it, Hephaestus" she jerked to the left and bumped his arm, causing the stopper to fly out of his hand. His eyes flashed with anger as he pulled her tight against him. "How dare you refuse help from a god!" he hissed. "Now I will punish you..." he crashed his lips to hers, brutally pillaging her mouth. "Wait! I've kissed Hephaestus before! This isn't him!" Kagome brought forth an energy ball in each hand and planted them in the god's chest. He flew through the air and landed with a thud. "Reveal your true self, false god!" Kagome commanded a second set of energy balls formed and ready to fly. The god raised himself up on one elbow and grinned evilly. "How'd you know, Miko" he challenged. Her face went beet red as she replied "None of your damn business! Now reveal or I will purify your ass to Hades and back!" There was a vicious glint in her eye- the god knew she would do it. He stood up slowly and brushed the dirt off. "Okay. You caught me". Hephaestus's image faded to be replaced with a new one. "Which god are you?" she asked as she took in the black leather, spikes, curly black hair and muscles. "Damn! Why are all the Greek gods so hot!" She thought. "I am Ares, god of war." He bowed slightly and continued. "And you, dear Miko, just passed the test." She dropped her hands to her sides, confusion crossing her face. "What test?" "Now what fun would that be if I told you?" He smirked. "Oops, gotta go. There's a war in Athens I need to get started. See ya around, Miko". Kagome's jaw hung open as she stared at the spot where Ares had disappeared in a flash of blue. "What the heck?" she questioned out loud. "I can't even contact any of the other Greek gods to ask." She shook her head to clear it. Dissolving the barrier with a wave, she headed back towards the hut, thinking to herself. "What a way to start the day. It just can't get any better."