Oh, was she ever in big trouble. She hadn't moved an inch for the longest time, and her body began to tremble in the strained hold she kept over herself. There was so much about her current situation that was wrong, that she wasn't quiet sure where to look for the brighter side of it. Or if there was in fact a brighter side.
Her shoulder gave another painful spasm, she bit her lip and warm blood slowly trickled down her arm. As she went to grip and pull out the arrow imbedded in her shoulder, she froze when it shifted. Blue eyes wide as they stared at the closed eye across from here, one that was taller than herself. Dark red scales that looked warmer due to the light that fractured off of the gold that flooded the entire cavern she was in.
It didn't take a genius to know that a dragon was resting beneath all that gold. But she wouldn't mind knowing why she was in said cavern. Or how she got there to begin with, and perhaps a way back. Preferably sooner rather than later.
Another shifting caused the entire gold to shift, which meant her current spot as well. She let out a squeak when she tumbled painfully backwards and ended up sliding down the never ending gold down till she landed painfully against one of the massive giant black pillars that supported the cavern's roof.
Her landing caused the arrow to snap and dig deeper into her flesh, this time she was unable to hold back her pained cry. It echoed around her, and she quickly slapped a hand to her mouth as she stared wide eyed at the immensely large dragon. It's head was no longer buried, and her eyes couldn't help but follow the line of shifting gold to the tail that ended curled around yet another pillar.
When what at first sounded like a deep rumbling growl, she quickly returned her gaze to the head only to freeze at the now open eye that stared directly at her. Bright reds mixed with golds gazed at her unwaveringly from that single eye until the head shifted so it was raised and stared down at her.
Snapping her eyes shut, Kagome did what came normally to one in such a situation. Babble like an idiot.
"I'm not here. I'm not here. This is a dream, just a dream." her brows furrowed. "Wait. This is a nightmare! I'm not here! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
"Thief! Come to steal my gold, have you?" the voice was deep, choppy and rumbling that sent her shaking to run up and down her spine.
"No!" she frantically shook her head, at the moment unsure if she was denying this dragon's accusations or the fact that she was in fact in her current position. "You can keep it! I just really, really want to go home!"
She whimpered when hot and steamy breath washed over her, her instinct was to push herself tighter against the pillar but the arrow still in her shoulder prevented that. When the dragon spoke again, she jumped onto unbalance legs at how close his voice sounded.
"Home? Have you come from Laketown perhaps?"
Her brows furrowed at the unfamiliar name. "No. Not... Laketown..."
The air currents were quickly changing, from what she could hear, the dragon took a deep inhale. "No, not Laketown. You lack the putrid scent of rotting fish and sickness. But there is something else I scent..."
Kagome opened her eyes at his amused tone, not that she wanted too, but because such a tone was usually never good. She gulped when she saw him completely, her heart most likely skipped a few beats at his sheer size. Oh, was she ever screwed.
Licking her lips, her eyes trailed down the entire length of the dragon before her. His rather fearsome claws included. "You scent something else..."
"Power."
Despite her best judgment, she looked him in the eye. "Power?"
If a dragon could smile, she witness it happen and would very much like to erase it from her memory. "Yes. Power. Blood is very telling, and yours sings of power."
Her uninjured arm rose so she could grip the arrow still in her shoulder. "There are many forms of power... I hardly think myself as powerful..."
"Do not think to lie to me, little one. A mouse with power... is still but a mouse." he chuckled.
"And you are an expert on power?" she slowly, and rather painfully, began to twist the arrow out of her shoulder.
"I am Smaug! I am fire and death. And you, little mouse, trespass." he lowered his head, baring rows of sharp teeth.
"I am sorry, it was not my intention to trespass." she grunted and clenched her teeth together when she finally ripped the arrow free. Bringing the broken arrow in front of her, she frowned. It wasn't much, and most likely wouldn't do anything, but it was better than nothing.
"And why should I forgive a mouse? Perhaps I should simply end you where you cower, taste and take your power for my own."
Oh boy. Her eyes darted all over the place to look for a way out, but all she saw was gold that went on forever in the never ending cavern. "Perhaps out of the goodness of your heart?"
It was a pathetic try, but she had too.
The dragon reared it's head back, letting out a roaring laugh that shook the entire of the cavern. The lighter of of gold shock and rolled down the piles causing a rather light chiming to echo around them. "You, little mouse, amuse me."
Her lips twitched. Great, she was a comedian minutes before her death. "Well, since I seem to amuse you, could your perhaps answer a few of my questions?"
Smaug rolled his shoulders, looking much like a cat getting comfortable, as he hummed and stared down at her. "Perhaps, but nothing comes without it's price."
Licking her lips, Kagome finally thought to hell with it. She was more than likely about to die a painful death of being roasted alive, eaten alive or skewered by his claws. Looks like Kikyo finally won.
"Alright... Why do dragons crave gold? I mean, it's gold. It's nothing but metal. It can't keep you warm, you can't eat it, it doesn't offer companionship. At least not directly..." she shrugged her uninjured shoulder. It never made sense to her, she could still recall all the stories her father used to tell her about dragons hording gold from fairy tales when he was still alive, and questioning him 'why' like any other innocent child.
"Because others crave it, if you have what others crave, then you have power. The beauty and temptation of gold is not to be underestimated." he hissed the last bit of his answer, his tail sliding across the gold adding to the effect.
"Right. Pretty gold..." she could hardly believe that was it. Because it was shiny and pretty and because others wanted it? Well, the same could be said for the Shikon...
"Do dragons crave anything else other than gold?" her hold on the broken arrow shaft slipped easily between her fingers thanks to the fact that her blood now coated both.
The action he pulled next could be considered a raised brow. "You are a curious mouse."
"Well, since I am more than likely to die, I'd like to have my curiosity sated before I go." her answer was rather blasé considering her situation.
"Hmm. We crave power, in all it's forms. One more question mouse, and then no more." his eyes narrowed his eyes on her, not in anger, but more like a predator that was eying its prey.
"You are powerful, that much I can tell. But exactly how powerful are you? I only ask because in the land I come from, dragons can take on the form of man. It was their way of showing their absolute power." her mind was running hundreds miles a minute. If he could do such, she still had a chance of surviving this and figuring out a way home and return the favor Kikyo was so gracious to bestow upon her.
"And why would I wish to take on such a weak form?" it was hard to tell if he was curious or insulted at the idea.
"I don't know. The ability to hide oneself from their prey and enemy without them knowing? I never asked how it was considered powerful. The more powerful the dragon, the more human they looked... I guess it also allowed them to enjoy the pleasures that their natural form didn't allow them too." she had always wondered about that, it couldn't have been about being less of a target. They were powerful enough to flatten entire villages of the Feudal Era, so it had to be something about enjoying the human form that their natural ones could experience.
If she ever got back home, she was going to ask Sesshoumaru. Hopefully she survived that and live happily with whatever answer he deemed to give her. Even if it meant none and letting her live.
Slumping a little under the constant throb in her should, she let out a startled cry when the gold beneath her feet shifted and she took another tumble. Getting back on her feet prove a problem, the gold was constantly shifting. Shifting the arrow into her other hand, she raised her uninjured arm to press against her shoulder only to freeze when she felt a claw run down her spine lightly.
The sound of her shirt ripping and cool air touching her now exposed back had her blood run cold. A warm, and large hand brushed her shirt to expose her injury. She furrowed her brows and clenched her eyes shut. She had been expecting something that wasn't a hand. Claws, teeth... her death by flames yes, a hand... not so much. She had assumed that wherever she was, the dragons here were far different than the ones of Japan.
When pressure was applied to her wound, she hissed and spun about to lash out to the... person. Only, that didn't happen. Letting out another squeak, she wrapped her arms around herself to hold her shirt and took a step back only to land on her rump.
"Okay... this weird dream has gone on long enough! I'm ready to wake up now!" she clenched her eyes shut as blood rushed to her cheeks.
She let out a whimper at the deep chuckled that echoed around her. The sound of gold tinkling and shifting alerted her to the... being was moving. Throwing an arm behind her, she caught herself when she flinched back from the unsuspecting contact against her cheek.
"So, I caught myself a rather innocent mouse." his voice was far smoother, and oddly sounding of British accent.
Warmth bathed her entire front, as if she were under the noon sun. But the gold shifting underneath her told she was still in fact in that endless cavern with a... naked dragon. Her lips pursed when his fingers curiously poked and prodded.
Another amused chuckled echoed around her ears. "Perhaps the dragons of your home were correct, this form does offer much."
"That's nice, can you go back to your other form then? I'd rather die with as much dignity intact." her brows furrowed when the gold shifted again, and she leaned away from a sudden crowding of her personal space.
"Die? I told you dragons crave power in all it's forms. A mouse with power if can offer should be treasured. Even if it is a mouse."
Her eyes snapped open at his words, truly taking in his new appearance. His face was long, straight and came down to a narrowed chin. Pointed ears peaked out from beneath long hair, hair she thought was black at first but the fractured light off of the gold showed it to be a deep red. His eyes were the same, only looking slightly more cat like, and she could say that his cheekbones looked rather sharp.
But none of it made him unattractive, not that she found his as such of course! He was a dragon after all that intended to kill her, at least she thought he did. Then again, she could say the same thing about Naraku and Sesshoumaru.
"Does this form not appeal you, little mouse?" his voice sounded far too amused, and a little sadistic, for her tastes.
"If I say no, will you go back to being a dragon?" she pulled herself away from him, hoping to gain some breathing room. It was rather pointless as he followed after her.
"Perhaps. Do you not find this form appealing?" his moved his hand, gripping her knee and stopped her from continuing to escape.
"...yes. Now please go back to being a dragon." her leg twitched at the feel of claws scrapping the back of her knee.
Taking a quick peek, though being safe to avoid glancing at a certain area, she noticed while he was definitely human looking, certain areas seemed to shimmer with a scale like effect. As she tried to push herself as far back as possible, she noticed the same with his facial features.
"Why, little mouse, does this form... upset you so?" his lips curled as he drew closer.
Looking off to the side, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You're rather... naked and exposed right now." her answer was barely a whisper, a sign of how uncomfortable she really was.
"I would still be if I were a dragon." he was suddenly in her face, sharp eyes watching her movements.
Kagome fell to her elbow, hissing lightly when it agitated her wound. "Yes, well, you were a dragon then."
He watched her, until he moved to nuzzled to side of her head. His breath was warmer than what she expected, his skin far smoother and softer as well. "I am still a dragon now, little mouse. Regardless of which form I take."
She shook and shivered, wondering if she was going to die of embarrassment soon or hopefully wake up. Her hopes were riding on the latter, all or nothing on the latter really. "Well, yes, but still-!"
"Hush now, little mouse. Let me discover what treasures you hold." his voice came out as a purring rumble, sounding much more like when he first spoke.
A soft cry of protested left her lips when her shirt was quickly torn from her hold and tossed away, leaving Kagome feeling for more exposed than she would have liked. The action also caused her to fall to her injured shoulder. Letting out a hiss, she arched to relieve the sudden pain that bloomed from her shoulder. The move allowed an arm to slip around her waist and rest against the small of her back.
Gently, not something she would have suspected of a dragon, he lifted her and turned her so she faced away from him. The straps of her bra fell away from her shoulders, most likely cut with his claws. She fumbled about to keep it on until it followed the same fate of her shirt, torn and tossed away. Hunching in on herself, she ignored the amused chuckles behind her as her hair was swept over her shoulder.
She continued to pray in her mind that she wake up soon, or die, either one really. Or that the earth open up and swallow her, anything to get out of this embarrassing situation.
When his large hands moved, one gripping her injured arm while the other settled against her stomach, she turned towards him to question him. Instead she blinked when he looked up at her as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her wound. Not moments later, a heat she had never known seared her flesh. Biting down on her cry, her eyes clenched shut and she bowed her head. It didn't stop the tears that escaped and rolled down her cheeks.
After what felt like hours to her, he finally pulled back. "Such a brave little mouse."
She wanted to do nothing more than scratch his eyes out and claw at her still burning flesh, instead she decided to distract herself. "Kagome... my name is Kagome."
"An odd name for a little mouse." he chuckled as his tongue laved against her now healed wound, a rumbling purr echoing around them.
"It means bird." she gritted her teeth when his nose rub the length of her neck and she felt her blood smear from his chin.
"So a little bird are you? All the better." he drew her tight against his form, his hands beginning to wander. "Your blood is very... intoxicating."
"So I've been told." she squirmed at the warm sweeps his hands and touches caused. She really hoped he wasn't planning on what she thought he was planning. Freezing, her hopes were shot to hell when she felt that he indeed was more than ready to do what he more than likely planned on doing.
It was scalding, pressed against her lower back, and felt... larger than life. Clawed hands distracted her as they did away with the rest of her clothing till she was bare. Her continued squirming garnered a hiss from the being behind her, his hand suddenly cupping her most private and sacred of places drew out a surprised gasp as she threw her head back onto his shoulder.
"It would seem, this form does please you. My little bird." lips pulled back allowing her to feel sharp teeth press against her neck.
The moment his fingers began to move, Kagome bolted up awake. Her hands clenched her sleeping bag as she panted for breath while her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the forest around her. Shippo cried out as he flew a short distant until he rested more or less at the foot of the sleeping bag.
At the sudden disturbance, the others quickly woke up themselves, ready to take on whatever enemy disturbed their small camp.
"Kagome, everything alright?" Shippo had scrambled to pat his tiny hands against her cheeks, worried at her pale complexion.
Her eyes blankly took him in, not really sure she was seeing him or the woods instead of the endless gold filled cavern. Had it all really been a dream? Her shoulder still burned in pain... Hands shook as they moved her sleeping shirt to get to where she had been shot in her dream.
"Kagome-chan?" Shippo asked again, his own hands clenching onto his shirt in worry.
"My... my shoulder... it hurts." her whimpers drew everyone's attention until Sango stood up.
"Here, let me." rough and callused hands eased the shirt from shaking ones and pushed the back of the shirt up. "Which shoulder?"
Inhaling the cool and crisp night air, she managed to calm herself to answer. "Left. My left shoulder."
Sango's hand gently swept across both shoulder until stopping at the left one. "You're bleeding! Shippo, get me some water and a towel please!"
The whole camp was now awake, Miroku stirring the fire back to life which Kagome stared at with unseeing eyes. Inuyasha was doing a quick patrol of the area to make sure nothing had managed to sneak in, Shippo was helping Sango in cleaning her back.
"Well, you're not bleeding, but that doesn't explain the blood. Although..." Kagome could hear the frown in her friend's voice.
"Yes? What is it?" twisting to see what her friends were, she let out a huff when she was doing nothing more than giving herself whiplash.
"Did you always have this scar there? It looks like a burn mark... but I've never seen one like it before..." Sango trailed off as she wiped the last bit of blood away.
"Wha... what does it look like?" her hand rose up to pat where the mark supposedly was.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looked like... a kiss." Sango furrowed her brows as she continued to take in the mark.
"O-oh that one! I got it when I was a kid! A little accident, nothing more!" Kagome hastily pulled her shirt back in place. "Well, I might have scratched myself, sorry for the worries guys. Bad dreams and old pains caused me to panic. Let's get back to sleep."
Despite the looks everyone was giving her, she climbed back into her sleeping back. Snuggling deep in it's warmth and holding a still worried Shippo, Kagome willed herself to sleep. It took a while, but the others followed her lead, tucking themselves back into their own blankets to get sleep.
She shivered when the wind picked up over head... she was sure she heard a voice through the boughs of the tree.
"You can not hide from... my little bird."
AN: Been sick the past... week and a half, and what better way to pass the time than to watch the Hobbit and the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug! Yeah... instead of working on finishing other projects this happens. Do not ask where my imagination went... I blame the meds and being sick. Read, enjoy, and reivew!