Inimical Influence by Mynameishuman

Bump in the Night

Nightmares never really effected Kagome, even as a child. Sure, she might awaken to recognize her body’s responses to the dream – a rapid heartbeat, quickened breath.

After a few moments she’d find her calm, and sleep would claim her once more.

This time… this nightmare, it wasn’t like any of the others she’d had before. This time, she awoke not only to a rapid heartbeat and hyperventilation, but to sweat-dampened bedding as well.

Blinking against the darkness, gravity pulled tears from her eyes to roll down her cheeks. Feeling a wail creeping up her throat, Kagome clapped a trembling hand over her lips to muffle it just before it slipped free.

Golden eyes rapidly became crimson. Lethal nails lengthened to daggers, thrusting through her chest as she screamed.

She was shaken. This dream, this nightmare had shaken her. It was a strange experience – one she didn’t care for.

Pushing herself up on a wobbly arm, she sniffled and glanced around at her companions, still blissfully asleep.

They’d been lucky that night, finding shelter.

After a long day of trekking through overgrown forest, and almost impossible geography, they’d found themselves facing one of Naraku’s incarnations.

Well, two to be precise.

Kagura, who sat a distance away, floating on her large, magical feather, and Kanna, who appeared from the forest with her creepy, soul-stealing mirror.

Inuyasha attacked immediately, but Kagura was ready and beat him to the punch with a swift, graceful swing of her arm. Her attack pushed him off course and away from Kagome, which was exactly what they wanted.

This became clear when Kanna leveled her mirror at the priestess.

“Kagome! Get our of there, idiot !” Inuyasha yelled, trying to get to her while dodging Kagura’s ceaseless attacks.

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Despite what he believed, she was no idiot.

Without a second thought, she turned tail and ran, but not before her eyes slid briefly over the child’s mirror, a glint momentarily blinding her. A haze seemed to cloud her mind for a single, solitary moment, before she turned away, breaking the spell.

Oddly enough, Kanna stepped back into the shadowed forest, and Kagura ceased her attacks, flying away.

“What the…”

“What was that about?” Inuyasha griped, landing beside Kagome as she watched the feather fade into the sunset. “We don’t have time for their crap. Come on, let’s keep going. I think I smell a village ahead.”

Inuyasha turned out to be correct.

There was a post town not too far ahead, and Kagome felt mild irritation that they could’ve been following a worn path instead of traipsing about in the overgrown wild, but she let it go with a deep, calming breath.

One of the elderly villagers allowed the group – all but Inuyasha, who insisted on remaining on the outskirts of the village, anyway – to occupy his outbuilding. Reserved for the tools of his trade, the small space was fairly cluttered, but Kagome was so exhausted, she found she couldn’t care.

The priestess ate some rice and lukewarm miso soup before promptly falling asleep. All things considered, at least they were out of the elements, which she deemed a win.

Steady rainfall could be heard outside, and Kagome wondered if Inuyasha was staying dry.

Her nightmare came to her again, a flash of red and white, the feeling of helplessness. Acid burning her flesh.

Sesshomaru …

Shaking her head firmly, she inhaled deeply and settled back into her sleeping bag.

It was just a nightmare, Kagome, she reminded herself. Sesshomaru wouldn’t do that to me.

…Right?