I do not own the characters in this story. I won't profit in any way from
it. The characters belong to and are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
CHAPTER ONE
Inu Yasha held the sleeve of his kimono up to his face to help protect his eyes from the driving snow. What had Kagome been thinking?, he wondered moodily, to bring them out into this mess.
Turning his head he checked the nearly unconcious girl still hanging to his back. He immediately became concerned. Damn that girl! When would she ever learn that sometimes even he knew when to stay indoors.
His golden amber eyes surveyed the horizon, straining to see through the blizzard. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. His keen demon eyesight noted a distant, dark smudge on the horizon. Was it a woodsmans' hut? A stable? Inu Yasha didn't really care, he knew he just needed to get Kagome out of the cold and snow.
Utilizing his demon strength and speed he pushed himself into fighting the elements. Leaping through the snow was tiring, even for him. Speed was of the essence, now. Kagome's lips were turning blue and he knew that couldn't be a good sign. Snarling at the blizzard he leaped up the hill towards the dark smudge. His eyes scanned as much of the area as he could see, which wasn't much. That meant he was dependant on his keen nose. That suited him, it had saved him numerous times in his life before now. He sniffed the air for scent. Nothing other than the wet smell of snow came to his keen senses. Which meant this might just be a woodsman's empty hut, built for just such a circumstance as this.
Half way up the hill he felt Kagome, slipping off his back. "NOOOOO," he yelled in fury. "DAMN IT GIRL, hold on." Kagome, having slipped into the blackness that had nibbled on the edges of her conciousness for some time, slipped off into the waist deep snow. Sinking beneath it's surface in seconds. Inu Yasha, frantic, dug quickly for her body. Shivering, unconcious, crusted with snow from head to toe, greeted his eyes. Growling at this new development he slipped the huge pack off her back and onto his own. "Feel like a pack mule", he grumbled to himself. Picking up Kagome's body into his arms he continued his ascent towards the hut.
Finally, he reached it. At this point his great endurance was eroding fast. He quickly ran the days of the month through his head. "OH NO...." the next day would be the night of the new moon. The most hated night of his life. His demon abilities would wear down through the next day, cumulating in the change from hanyou to full human after sunset. Great timing he thought, bitterly, just great. He tried the door of dwelling, noting that he had been right, it indeed was a small woodsman's hut for protection against the elements. The door was frozen shut. "DAMN IT, " he yelled at the door, "OPEN". Giving it a frustrated kick, careful to not shatter the door, no matter that he wanted to.
He tried the door again. Growling, daring the wood to defy him again. The door moved slightly under his tugging. Having no choice, he put Kagome down in the snow, and quickly dug around the door with his claws, shovelling the snow behind him as fast as he could. Tugging again the door slowly opened enough that he could squeeze through with Kagome upright in his arms. He tossed the cumbersome pack through the doorway first. "What's she carry in that thing anyway, " he thought, "ROCKS?" He picked Kagome up, one arm around her waist, the other her shoulders, their bodies were pressed together from waist to shoulder as he dragged her, feet limp, through the door way.
Wearily he laid her on the floor, turning pulled the door shut. He sighed as he looked around the small room. Dirt floor, small stone fireplace on the one side of the room with the futon and wood frame on the other. His eyes searched easily in the gloom. He could see in any light, day or night. One of the many benefits to him of being who and what he was. His sharp gaze caught sight of a wooden box near the fireplace. He opened it. Thankfully, he allowed a sigh to escape him. Firewood filled the box. Dry kindling to one side of the wood. Ah, there it was a flint stone.
A low moan recalled him to the problem at hand. Kagome...lying on the floor, drenched in snow and ice. She was shivering in a way that couldn't be good. He walked to a far corner and shook himself all over. Snow splattered off of his kimono and white maine of hair. He went towards Kagome, she needed help. He'd seen this kind of thing before. Many years ago when he lived with his mother in her village. Exposure. It could kill if she was warmed up too fast but it would certainly win if he didn't start doing something. He went to the pack and opened it up.
"Feh," he said. "Why does she carry so much JUNK?" His lip lifted in a sneer at the need for someone to need so much to survive. Then he remembered, he was weakening too. Soon, he'd be as weak as Kagome. The new moon was coming.
He pawed through the stuff in the bag. In frustration he started tossing things everywhere emptying the bag. "Clothes," he thought," and a blanket" were what was needed now. At the bottom of the pack he found it. A blanket. He pulled it out. It was what she had termed a "sleeping bag" she'd shown Miroku and Sango how to open it up flat then refold and knit the sides together. What she hadn't known was that he'd been paying close attention from the tree limb he'd been sitting on at the time. He sighed in relief. Then he hoped he would find some clothes, something, anything. He found the thin things he'd seen her sleeping in more than once. Pajama's she'd termed them. However they had been near the top of the pack and were soaked with snow.
He knew he'd spent almost too much time looking for things to survive. Kagome was worse. Her skin bluish, her lips almost purple. He took off the coat she'd at least had the sense to wear and looked at her. This was going to be difficult. He knew what needed to be done. A blush rose in his cheeks. He set to work, his face carved in stone.
NOTE: This story is based on the anime Inu Yasha, which takes place during the time of Feudal Japan, sometimes called 'the Warring States Era'.
hanyou = half demon
youkai = demon
CHAPTER ONE
Inu Yasha held the sleeve of his kimono up to his face to help protect his eyes from the driving snow. What had Kagome been thinking?, he wondered moodily, to bring them out into this mess.
Turning his head he checked the nearly unconcious girl still hanging to his back. He immediately became concerned. Damn that girl! When would she ever learn that sometimes even he knew when to stay indoors.
His golden amber eyes surveyed the horizon, straining to see through the blizzard. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. His keen demon eyesight noted a distant, dark smudge on the horizon. Was it a woodsmans' hut? A stable? Inu Yasha didn't really care, he knew he just needed to get Kagome out of the cold and snow.
Utilizing his demon strength and speed he pushed himself into fighting the elements. Leaping through the snow was tiring, even for him. Speed was of the essence, now. Kagome's lips were turning blue and he knew that couldn't be a good sign. Snarling at the blizzard he leaped up the hill towards the dark smudge. His eyes scanned as much of the area as he could see, which wasn't much. That meant he was dependant on his keen nose. That suited him, it had saved him numerous times in his life before now. He sniffed the air for scent. Nothing other than the wet smell of snow came to his keen senses. Which meant this might just be a woodsman's empty hut, built for just such a circumstance as this.
Half way up the hill he felt Kagome, slipping off his back. "NOOOOO," he yelled in fury. "DAMN IT GIRL, hold on." Kagome, having slipped into the blackness that had nibbled on the edges of her conciousness for some time, slipped off into the waist deep snow. Sinking beneath it's surface in seconds. Inu Yasha, frantic, dug quickly for her body. Shivering, unconcious, crusted with snow from head to toe, greeted his eyes. Growling at this new development he slipped the huge pack off her back and onto his own. "Feel like a pack mule", he grumbled to himself. Picking up Kagome's body into his arms he continued his ascent towards the hut.
Finally, he reached it. At this point his great endurance was eroding fast. He quickly ran the days of the month through his head. "OH NO...." the next day would be the night of the new moon. The most hated night of his life. His demon abilities would wear down through the next day, cumulating in the change from hanyou to full human after sunset. Great timing he thought, bitterly, just great. He tried the door of dwelling, noting that he had been right, it indeed was a small woodsman's hut for protection against the elements. The door was frozen shut. "DAMN IT, " he yelled at the door, "OPEN". Giving it a frustrated kick, careful to not shatter the door, no matter that he wanted to.
He tried the door again. Growling, daring the wood to defy him again. The door moved slightly under his tugging. Having no choice, he put Kagome down in the snow, and quickly dug around the door with his claws, shovelling the snow behind him as fast as he could. Tugging again the door slowly opened enough that he could squeeze through with Kagome upright in his arms. He tossed the cumbersome pack through the doorway first. "What's she carry in that thing anyway, " he thought, "ROCKS?" He picked Kagome up, one arm around her waist, the other her shoulders, their bodies were pressed together from waist to shoulder as he dragged her, feet limp, through the door way.
Wearily he laid her on the floor, turning pulled the door shut. He sighed as he looked around the small room. Dirt floor, small stone fireplace on the one side of the room with the futon and wood frame on the other. His eyes searched easily in the gloom. He could see in any light, day or night. One of the many benefits to him of being who and what he was. His sharp gaze caught sight of a wooden box near the fireplace. He opened it. Thankfully, he allowed a sigh to escape him. Firewood filled the box. Dry kindling to one side of the wood. Ah, there it was a flint stone.
A low moan recalled him to the problem at hand. Kagome...lying on the floor, drenched in snow and ice. She was shivering in a way that couldn't be good. He walked to a far corner and shook himself all over. Snow splattered off of his kimono and white maine of hair. He went towards Kagome, she needed help. He'd seen this kind of thing before. Many years ago when he lived with his mother in her village. Exposure. It could kill if she was warmed up too fast but it would certainly win if he didn't start doing something. He went to the pack and opened it up.
"Feh," he said. "Why does she carry so much JUNK?" His lip lifted in a sneer at the need for someone to need so much to survive. Then he remembered, he was weakening too. Soon, he'd be as weak as Kagome. The new moon was coming.
He pawed through the stuff in the bag. In frustration he started tossing things everywhere emptying the bag. "Clothes," he thought," and a blanket" were what was needed now. At the bottom of the pack he found it. A blanket. He pulled it out. It was what she had termed a "sleeping bag" she'd shown Miroku and Sango how to open it up flat then refold and knit the sides together. What she hadn't known was that he'd been paying close attention from the tree limb he'd been sitting on at the time. He sighed in relief. Then he hoped he would find some clothes, something, anything. He found the thin things he'd seen her sleeping in more than once. Pajama's she'd termed them. However they had been near the top of the pack and were soaked with snow.
He knew he'd spent almost too much time looking for things to survive. Kagome was worse. Her skin bluish, her lips almost purple. He took off the coat she'd at least had the sense to wear and looked at her. This was going to be difficult. He knew what needed to be done. A blush rose in his cheeks. He set to work, his face carved in stone.
NOTE: This story is based on the anime Inu Yasha, which takes place during the time of Feudal Japan, sometimes called 'the Warring States Era'.
hanyou = half demon
youkai = demon