Paradigm of Sacrifice by Dana
Chapter 1: Nightmares
A cool breeze whipped through the trees causing Kagome to cling tightly to the branch she was previously sitting on. Pressing her body firmly against the large limb, the rough bark rubbed abrasively against her skin, turning her pale arms and legs into a canvas for the slashes and splotches of red and pink. Her heart beat a heavy staccato in her chest as she waited for the offending wind to die down. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kagome reminded herself that she had a job to do. It was her watch for the next couple hours, guarding her friends below, from the line of trees.
Gritting her teeth and firming her resolve, Kagome sat up, keeping her legs tightly locked around the thick limb. She kept her eyes shut until she was sitting up, knowing if she even peeked at the enormous gap between her and the ground, she would lose her nerve and go back to clutching the branch like she had clung to her mother's leg when she was a child. Opening her eyes, Kagome notched an arrow in her bow and rested it against her lap, gazing out over the clearing. Thoughts of her family began to plague her mind and she wondered how they were faring; it had been almost a month since she had been back to the future and Kagome had been starting to feel the gut wrenching home sickness that seemed to ail her every time she came to the Feudal Era.
Looking down at her friends, she studied each as they slept. Miroku lay spread-eagled, his mouth gaping wide open as he let out another raucous snore. Kagome giggled, thinking that she shouldn't even bother keeping watch; Miroku's snores would scare off any living creature. Despite his goofiness (and perversity) though, he was a good man, always looking out for her and the others. Especially Sango.
The beautiful demon slayer rested on her side next to Miroku, her hair fanning across Miroku's arms and chest as she lay her head on his forearm. Her Hiraikotsu lie along her torso and between her legs, her hands curled in the leather strap that allowed her to throw the deadly boomerang with ease and precision. Kagome smiled feeling happy and sad for her beautiful friend. Sango had been through a lot when she joined their group; Kagome admired her fighting spirit, especially after seeing her father killed by her possessed brother. It was amazing how much Sango had changed since then. She seemed to be a lot happier and although Kagome knew that it was being with them all that had helped, she was even surer that it was Miroku and Sango's growing affection towards each other that had healed her wounds.
Curled up next to Sango was a full size Kirara with the small kitsune, Shippo curled up in her long warm fur. Kagome felt her heart ache as she gazed upon her adopted son. It was never an official thing, but Kagome could not help but feel her woman's instincts kick into gear where the young kitsune-youkai was concerned.
Then there was InuYasha. In sleep, his face was deceptively serene; the small furrow between his black eyebrows was smoothed away. He was actually quite beautiful when he wasn't yelling at her...Or scowling at her... So pretty much when he was asleep; it seemed that since Kikyo's death at Kagome's hands, InuYasha had distanced himself from the miko. He had loved her once, Kagome thought sadly. But after all that had happened, the fragmented feelings they had for each other had disintegrated. Sure, he still looked at her and even talked to her as if nothing had ever happened, but she saw the way his golden eyes dulled every time they interacted.
Lost in her thoughts, Kagome didn't notice that the leaves were still rustling despite the fact that the wind had stopped blowing. It was once the thin wisps of hair stopped tickling her face that she realized the wind had died down. Tensing her muscles, Kagome pulled her bowstring taught and watched cautiously the line of trees. Drawing on her power, Kagome let an arrow fly as a flash of white shone through the trees. She cursed as she heard the thud of the arrow being imbedded in a tree. She fumbled for her quiver when a sudden calm fell about her. The only sounds in the forest were of her grasping an arrow and notching it on her bow. Even her friends were quiet below. Looking around slowly, Kagome felt an ache in her shoulders as they kept tense; something or someone was here.
She felt a breeze swirl around her, brushing her hair around her neck and face, but it's disturbing presence seemed only to affect her. Before she could even act, her bow was flung out of her hands as something wrapped itself in her hair and gripped it tightly. Kagome cried out as the presence pressed up behind her, its warm breath violating her ear, as it pulled roughly on her midnight tresses. A small chuckle sounded in her ear, freezing her in place. Her erratically beating heart felt as it had suddenly been turned to stone and her skin crawled in fear and anticipation.
"Hm, it seems, little miko, that you are going to make this a lot easier than I had anticipated." the low timbre of his voice sent her skin crawling. However Kagome straightened and proudly thrust her nose up in the air.
"There's no way in hell I'll make this easy for you!" She snarled as she thrust her elbow into the offender's gut. He grunted in surprise, loosening his hold slightly but not letting go. He chuckled again, low in his throat.
"Keep struggling miko, I like you better when you're feisty." The warm wet sensation of what she could only imagine was his tongue slid along her ear, flicking the earlobe.
"You sick bastard! Let me go!" Kagome had placed her hand against his chest as she screamed at him, the warm pink of her aura flaming from her palm. However she did not expect the explosion of his dark miasma and was sent sprawling from her perch. A menacing laugh greeted her ears as the ground came up to meet her. Just as she was about to hit the earth her world went black.
* * *
Kagome sat up with a start, her surroundings confusing her. The light blue walls and bright pink bed sheets that covered her from her waist down seemed foreign to her. Recognition set in as she glanced around her room. Was it just a dream? More like a nightmare, she thought, before rolling over and snuggling into her pillow. Definitely a dream, she decided, curling into foetal position and falling back asleep.
AN:/ Hope you enjoyed chapter 1