Chapter Four: Beyond the Calm

Out of the dark we came, into the dark we go. Like a storm-driven bird at night we fly out of the Nowhere; for a moment our wings are seen in the light of the fire, and, lo! we are gone again into the Nowhere.

- H. Rider Haggard

He saw her leaning in and couldn't react past letting his eyes widen just a bit. It was the first time that she willingly kissed him sense they had agreed upon their engagement to one another.

He was locked in place for a moment, the delicate pair of lips only taking him a moment to settling his arms around her and return the gesture. It was tender at first, a faint apprehension beneath the gentle yet hypnotic contact. Though the fragility was quickly behind them as Kagome pulled herself a little closer and half smiled unconsciously when he tightened his arms around her. She rubbed her hands along the back of his clothing but the two layers made it difficult to pick out any of the definition of his form.

It was a matter of moments before the embrace was taking on a scorching sultry ambience. Byakuya's hands had settled one behind her back and one cradling her face while her own had found their way inside his kimono and traced over his muscular chest.

There were small smoother areas of the skin that were once scars almost fully healed over here and there, but they made the whole of him that much more interesting to explore. Her fingers were obliging her that curiosity until he pulled back and held her hands.

While her eyes were still a bit cloudy with longing for him and he imagined he wasn't far from reflecting that he shook his head at her. "Kagome...we aren't wed yet. This is not the most appropriate of motions...however enticing you might be I believe we should wait."

"He chooses now to be chaste?" Kagome thought with mild irritation, but nodded a little slowly at him. "You're right, I just um...felt like kissing you. Sorry"

She blushed as she realized just how much she'd pulled apart his kimono, her hands had actually been starting to work loose the knot in his belt when he'd stopped her. He was gathering his more proper appearance as they spoke. "Nothing to apologize for Kagome. But...it is late and we should both get some rest. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, a little embarrassed." She answered honestly. "Sleep well Byakuya."

She ducked out to her own connecting room and slid the door closed before settling on her bed with the same deep red skin tone she'd been sporting lately on her cheeks. "Whew...I never knew I was so...active. I need to kiss Byakuya more often. That was...indescribable..."

She heard him retreat to his own room and sighed to herself with a small smile, even if her cheeks were a bit red. That was definitely worth it.

Byakuya had begun his own preparations before he rested, considering the lingering warmth of her hands on his chest. It had been entirely too long sense he'd been with a woman...

"Over fifty years." He reminded himself.

It would perhaps be more difficult to wait to be closer to her than he'd expected. She'd always been friendly and cuddly but that had been an entirely different side of the girl. He couldn't say he disliked it.

Lightning lit up the room from the window, flashing several times with bursts of thunder rippling through the fabric of soul society. It seemed as if it wasn't going to be just a few drops of rain. It left the captain of soul society eyeing the window with a slight frown. "Just what did you do Kagome..."

He didn't linger on the thought too long, he was rather exhausted by the time his head hit the pillow.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

The bleak landscapes color was only worsened by the wickedly plum colored clouds that seemed to stalk Naraku's every moment. Already desolate the mountainous terrain was losing what flora it possessed every time a piece of Naraku's disfigured body was cut free. As if his very blood was something that would leech the life from anything that came near it.

Miroku had vanished somewhere in the mist and knowing that his hand was near the point of drawing him in and destroying him Kagome wasn't certain if it was a blessing or curse that he hadn't been seen. Sango had taken a rather nasty strike and where she'd vanished Kagome hadn't seen her get back up. She wasn't sure where Chippou was, he was suppose to stay out of it and she prayed he'd listened.

Then Inuyasha, he was bleeding from dozens of deeper painful looking gashes and had hundreds more small cuts and scars. It seemed as if he wouldn't last much longer, that it was amazing that he could still be standing at all.

...she needed to make a wish before everything fell apart. It might have already been too late for some of her friends...but to make the wish she needed to make...she would be parted from her love forever.

She closed her eyes after a final look at his determined face and started to speak the words that would steal her from him and her friends for the rest of her life.

Then the memory shifted, after she spoke the words nothing happened...she watched the jewel shimmer and fade in her hands before she looked over and noticed that Inuyasha had been replaced by Byakuya, and that one of Naraku's hideous limbs was sticking completely though his chest.

"No!" She only whispered it, her whole throat had closed in panic when she had been faced with the vision and when she opened her eyes to the thin silk hung over the canopy bed in her fine room she blinked back tears. "Just a dream...a nightmare."

She shuttered as Naraku's hateful grimace fluttered through her mind and went back to watching the storm outside instead of closing her eyes again. She felt tears starting to brim and balled her hands into fists. "Stop being a baby Kagome, it wasn't real. Naraku is dead. There is definitely no way he could harm Byakuya."

Remembering how deadly the dancing blades of his sword could be made her relax a little more, the beautiful attack seemed more like it should be captured somehow by an artist instead of used in a war. Senbonzakura was something she always found herself looking forward to seeing when he would occasionally release the blade for show or assault.

Byakuya was too strong to really have to worry about him ever losing in a battle. She smiled some to herself and blushed a bit as she remembered the firey kiss before they went to bed. That had been very much out of character for her but she still had to admit she didn't regret it, now she just needed to get to sleep without more nightmares like that one.

"Mmmmffrrrmm."

She blinked a little at the noise, it was coming from Byakuya's room, but she'd never heard him make a peep when he was sleeping. "Guess it's just a bad night for everyone...I'm surprised it's still storming. How long were we asleep anyway? I hope I can get some more rest but at least tomorrow is our day off to just spend a little time together.

Her thought process was interrupted by another groan, she could barely hear it over the wind but he was definitely having a bad dream or something. She pulled herself out of bed and padded across her room and then the main room. Glad it was mostly dark to hide the growing blush she felt after opening his door quietly.

Byakuya was half uncovered from the sheets and his entire upper body was naked from the waste up. The kensaiken not being in his hair made it seem as if he had a more roguish quality to his handsome physique. There were definite patches of lighter more translucent seeming skin on his chest that were visible when there was a short series of lightning flashes that covered the room in light for a full few seconds. But there was a thin sheen of sweat and he was occasionally twitching his body or muttering beneath his breath.

Kagome moved over after chiding herself for lingering to check out his naked body when she meant to come in and wake him.

"Hisana...I'm sorry..."

She'd been reaching to touch his shoulder and frowned a little as she managed to hear that amongst whatever he was saying. 'Kikiyo' was present in her mind after her most recent dream...was she gonna be going through this again? If somehow Hisana reappeared would she be cast aside? "Only I have a weird enough life to be worried about that..."

"Byakuya...you are having a nightmare..." She shook his shoulder gently but leaned back some in case he over-reacted, she'd taken a foot to the face once from her brother when he was mid-nightmare.

He woke up with nothing more than a start though, eyes flashing to her and around the room before seeming to relax more. "Kagome...did I wake you?"

""Not exactly." She offered a vague smile. "I was awake and I heard you."

"""I apologize for disturbing you." "he said and pulled the sheets up a little higher on his chest. "Is it still raining?"

"Yeah." Kagome looked toward the window and eyed the view of the gardens with a small smile, it was a little nicer when you had more of a view to enjoy the rain. "It's been going sense we went to bed but I'm not sure how long we were out."

"It doesn't seem like very long." Byakuya commented, reaching out and pushing some of her hair behind her ear that had been in her face. "Thank you for waking me. I'm not usually one to dream as that."

"Nightmares happen to all of us." Kagome answered, a slow smile turning into a grin when he offered her the tender gesture. "I'm a little unnerved though, this is the worst weather I've ever seen here."

"Poor weather isn't something we suffer often." Byakuya replied. "You are welcome to lay here if you remain well behaved."

"I'm always well behaved." Kagome grumbled, but chewed her lip only a moment before slipping under the comforter but leaving the sheet between them, she could use the extra support at that moment. She didn't elbow him until he scoffed at her comment about always behaving, though she settled immediately when he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's really unfair that he's always so warm when I'm so chilly all the time." She thought idly. "And comfortable, and handsome, and rich, and generally perfect. I wonder if he has any idea just how lucky he is?"

She was already getting sleepy again as she was lulled by the comforting presence of her fiance'. Things always looked up when she was close to him, she knew she was safe.

Byakuya was petting her hair absently as her scent helped to calm him in much the same manner his warmth did for her. It was a small thing but he was starting to realize how important small details really were. This wouldn't be smiled upon whenever his staff walked in on him that morning, but he couldn't just send her away. She had seemed so vulnerable sitting there on the side of his bed, looking as if someone had killed her dog.

It would be a lie to say that he also wasn't in need of a little contact, she was right that they'd spent precious little time together. Even if she often confused him he had grown rather attached to the young priestess, the only reason he sent her home as often as he did is because he wanted to keep her safe and sound.

Hopefully his grandfather wouldn't be around to immediately hear the whispers of his laying with the woman not yet his wife. Just because they were behaving didn't mean the rumors wouldn't state any and every thing else. He would likely be subject to an earful after all of the colorful things he'd said against this very sort of event months before.

If he could see the look on the older man's face when he first heard the news, before the shock turned into disappointment, it might be worth it.

End Chapter

This chapter was amazingly hard to do. I fought with it and had a load of rough draft possibilities before I finally settled on this one. Whew, it was a hurdle as to what I was going to do next. Hopefully I'll be good for a while now. Though I am busy trying to plan a costume for Nebraskon so not quite as much time.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Traitor-Hero - Glad to see I make you consider at least. Conjecture is good!

Tsukiei - Yeah I enjoy the 'business/relax' modes too. I think it's a funny way to describe Byakuya.

Sugar0o - Hope you continue to enjoy my story and give such awesome reviews, they really cheer me on.

Kathy - Kikyo is like always dead but alive but dead...it's pretty crazy. Though the feudal era well portal is sealed off in this story.

bellacullen101 - Yeah, I wish I could see some other examples of the pairing out there. It's definitely my favorite crossover and one of my favorite's period. I wish I saw more of it