When Universes Collide by ButtButtDoodle

Dream

Kagome woke to the land of the living with a hand on her mouth and a scream stuck in her throat. It was only after blinking past the tears that she realized the hand was her own, silencing the shrill shrieks that echoed terribly in the ghost of a nightmare. Heart hammering in her chest rather painfully, she looked around in the dark trying to recall where she currently was.

The cool summer wind and the pungent aroma of nature did its job of dissipating whatever remnants of the dream lingered at the edges of her consciousness, reminding her effectively that she was currently in the Sengoku Jidai. A quick survey of her surroundings showed the huddled forms of her compatriots sleeping safe and soundlessly in the dark: Sango and Miroku snuggled together, their hands intertwined as they slept - a new, though unsurprising, development in their relationshiop; Shippo and Rin sharing one sleeping bag, blissfully peaceful except for the occassional adorable whimper; and Inuyasha resting with his back against the tree, silver ears twitching, but otherwise undisturbed by her muffled cry.

Still shaking, Kagome wrestled with her feelings. The nightmare had left her pretty shaken, but seeking comfort from any of them seemed not only pointless, but rather selfish. She did not want to disturb the fragile intimacy blooming between the demon huntress and the monk. Although she loved Shippo and Rin, she struggled to see how two children - however mature they were due to the war they grew up in - could possibly comfort the grown worries of an adult woman. And Inuyasha...If she were to wake Inuyasha, would he put his arm around her, or push her away as he often did? She didn't think she could bear his rejection when she so desperately needed the opposite.

The hunt for Naraku grew more perilous with each passing day and with it the despair built up inside of Kagome with terrorizing fervor. Kagome truly wondered if she would make it back alive to her time. The certainty of that seemed tremulous at best.

Hugging her legs to her chest and placing her forehead atop her knees, Kagome focused on steadying her breathing. In any case, it seemed rather insensitive of her to wake up her friends only to say "I miss my family"; especially considering their own circumstances. At least she still had family to miss, however millennia away they were now.

"Miko."

Kagome still let out a strangled gasp. Despite how low and smooth it was, his voice cut through her internal musings like a whip, startling her until she realized who the owner was . Looking up, she locked eyes with the shadowed taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru.

She had not spied him right away in her first purview; but then again, she hadn't been looking for him either. His addition to their entourage had been recent and rather tense, and Kagome still did not know where exactly she stood with the enigmatic demon lord. Earlier that week she had purified a demon that had been aiming at his back, and he in turn had saved her from another monster's jaws - though if it had been purely accidental in his blind rampage against the hordes attacking all of them, she still did not know. And therein lay Kagome's relatioship with the regal demon lord in a nutshell - constant uncertainty.

At least with Inuyasha, she had some form of expectation to what any of his reactions might be. But where Inuyasha was an open book, Sesshoumaru was a sealed library, and she did not know the man enough to predict his responses. Perhaps because of that her own brain had completely dismissed him as a possibility for comfort.

Even as he sat a mere few feet away from her, his eyes hyper-focused on her and glinting strangely in the moonlight, Kagome was still reluctant to open up to him.

"What is wrong?" he questioned, and his deep voice gave nothing away - no concern or annoyance, or anything really. His lack of emotion contrasted against Kagome's current state of overwhelming feelings, unnerving her.

Kagome licked her dry lips, limbs still shaking under the memory of her visions. She closed her eyes and dropped her head onto her knees once more, willing the phantom images away.

"Nightmare." she whispered softly under her breath, knowing that his super-human ears would catch it. "Just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you, lord Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru stared at the shivering girl, obviously rattled by whatever she had seen in her sleep. In that second, she reminded him so much of his own Rin when she had night terrors. " I was already awake." He placated gently, just loud enough for her to hear. Yes, he had been awake to see her rise with terror in her eyes, looked around in search of something that wasn't there, her sight completely glossing over him - unseeing, as if he were mere air - and instead landing on his half-brother with anguished longing. A longing that, curiously, made Sesshoumaru's chest ache strangely. But if he disliked the feeling in his chest, he disliked seeing the usually brave, strong miko looking so small and forlorn. So heartbreakingly fragile...

Kagome's head was still resting on her folded legs when she felt the rustle of fabric against her arm. She barely had time to react when his hand - large and powerful and masculine - rested heavily against her shoulder and pressed unrelentingly until her side was flushed against his own. Kagome stared wide-eyed at the dirt between her feet, as the reality of the moment asserted itself.

Sesshoumaru settled in his seat next to her, his thumb rubbing soothing circles against her bare shoulder - she had opted for her modern pijamas that night, and the skin on skin contact was overstimulating. Feeling fluttery and disoriented, Kagome accepted his embrace, more out of surprise than actual desire.

"It is alright, Miko." Sesshoumaru reassured the young woman as he pulled her into his chest, and again Sesshoumaru felt an ache in his breast, different than the one from before but just as powerful. "It was just a dream."