The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Nightmare

Chapter 37 - The Nightmare *dreams* (Skye's Weekly Challenges)

Everyone assisted Kagome in packing up their lunch before heading out. For a while, Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked hand in hand, until Inuyasha got tired of it and intervened. After that, they continued along the border, Sesshoumaru on the outside and everyone else inside. Every now and then, they would stop, and the taiyoukai and the miko would touch, checking on their progress towards the next thing she was feeling. It was assumed that it would be another spell bag. Shippo was convinced of it, and no one questioned his expertise in the area of magic.

It was about an hour later when they came upon two Western soldiers who had been stationed at the border in case Sesshoumaru desired to send a message to the palace. He told them very little, ignoring their curiosity about his companions. When they insulted Inuyasha, however, they were quickly corrected. They were obviously shocked to discover the hanyou had been acknowledged, but Sesshoumaru made sure that the news would make its way to his mother.

The taiyoukai wished he could be there to see it when she found out, but he was certain his mother would be along to confront him about it soon enough. Should she dare to show her face to him again, that is. He hoped she wouldn't. He couldn't guarantee she wouldn't give away his secret. The woman had no respect for his feelings, or his pride, especially when she was angry, and it was possible she would mention it somehow. That was not how he wanted Kagome to find out. He knew he would eventually tell the miko everything, but not until he had her heart. 

They left the soldiers behind rather quickly and continued on, walking until it began to grow dark. Knowing the area well, Sesshoumaru found them shelter for the night on his side of the barrier. It wasn't wonderful, but it certainly wasn't the worst place they had ever spent the night. Sesshoumaru stayed awake, standing guard over the miko he desired. Inuyasha did as well, and the hanyou spent a good bit of the night simply glaring at his elder half-brother.

Just past midnight, Kagome jerked upright and screamed, startling everyone awake. Sesshoumaru made it to her side faster than the hanyou could blink. He had one hand in her hair, turning her head to look at him, trying to reassure her that whatever it was, it had only been a dream.

All Kagome saw was gold eyes and silver hair, and she threw her arms around Sesshoumaru's neck, crying into his moko-moko. The taiyoukai's arms wrapped around her, holding her close while whispering assurances of her safety in her ear. He was relieved she hadn't hurt herself on the spikes of his armor.

Sesshoumaru had a lot of experience with nightmares. Rin had been plagued with them for several weeks when she had first begun to follow him, and only he had been able to calm her. It felt so good to be holding the miko that he completely ignored everything but her. Inuyasha's growling and ranting meant nothing. Kagome was upset and he was going to make her feel better if he could.

"It was awful," the miko whispered. "I saw someone ripping wings off of bats, cutting the heart out of a poor bird. They held down a live owl and scooped its eyes out! Why would someone do that? I don't understand!"

"Shhh, shhh, Kagome. It is alright. It was just a dream," he purred in her ear. He should have known better. Even though she had been exposed to terrible things during her travels in the Feudal Era, she was a gentle, pure soul. Being exposed to black magic wasn't something to take lightly.

The miko continued to sob against Sesshoumaru while Sango and Miroku fought to keep Inuyasha from ripping her out of the taiyoukai's arms. To them, it didn't matter who was consoling her, so long as someone was. Shippo hopped onto Kagome's shoulder and did his best to help Sesshoumaru. Finally, the miko's sobs subsided, and she drifted into a restless sleep. The taiyoukai was reluctant to release her, worried her nightmares would return, but eventually he laid her back down, making sure she was snuggled safely into her sleeping bag.