Chapter 18ish

It was a dream, Kagome knew it but it was so peaceful. She could feel her teammates nearby, their presences warming her like the sun. In her dream though she was alone in a meadow. The scene was achingly familiar. She stood and looked around. Her eyes found a very old tree standing alone near her. The trunk bore the scar from an arrow. A soft sob escaped her. This was her word, the home she had been separated from. Lost in her nostalgia she tried to move closer to the tree but failed. With each step she ended up farther away than she had been before. She ran for the tree as fast as she could. It was no use. She collapsed to her knees exhausted. It was then she heard the voice.

Kagome…Kagome

She jolted up. "Whose there?"

Kagome…..Come to me….The soft voice whispered.

"Who are you?"

You know me…..I am within you…

"Midoriko?" Kagome stuttered.

Suddenly the meadow melted away and she stood alone in the cave where Midoriko's reamis stood in constant battle with a horde of demons. The stone miko seemed alive, her stone eyes pierced Kagome's soul. She swallowed hard imagining what the ancient miko saw there. Her life had been difficul she had done what she thought was necessary but her predecessor would never take that as an excuse. She had let Naraku win and was letting him run around unchecked. She felt ashamed.

I have tried to reach out to you…..The divide…..Difficult to connect….Be wary…..

"Why? What is happening?"

Naraku's plan…..Corruption…You must be strong…..Fight it…The jewel must remain pure…..

"I know. What do you mean corruption? Is he trying to corrupt me? How?"

The weak connection was shattering. The cave's darkness was dissolving in to black emptiness. Her heart raced at the implications of Midoriko's words. If the jewel was corrupted it could poison her, the village, even this strange world. Corrupted and in the hands of Naraku it could be used to level the villages and turn humans into puppets or slaves. If that was his plan why did he keep letting her go? Corrupting her would be easier in a place he controlled. Free like she was she could be broken but corruption. Maybe that's what he meant to do. Breaking her and destroying her soul would corrupt the jewel.

Curse….Scars….

Her scars? What did they have to do with it? Before she could ask the connection was lost. The meadow and the cave were lost to her. She spiraled in the darkness. She needed to wake up, her teammates needed her. Sasuke and Naruto were still out and Sakura was alone. No doubt someone would find them sooner or later. Suddenly dark power surged next to her. Her spiraling stopped and she began to free fall. She tried to scream but she couldn't breathe. She clawed out trying to force her body into movement to grab Sasuke. She knew the curse mark was the source. She could recognize the power and Sasuke's chakra that was being suppressed by it. She knew her body wasn't moving. Whatever happened was going to happen and there was nothing she could do to stop it.