The wind was freezing cold, it was biting at every inch of her exposed skin. Shivering violently, she clung to the top of a red robe which was draped over her head and shoulders. Lifting a hand, she put it to her mouth, calling out, her voice lost upon the wind. The stabbing, sharp pain in her side increased with every step she took, and her one hand was pressed tightly to it, to try and stem the blood which flowed so freely from a wound. Staggering, she slipped, nearly tumbling face first into the snow, but was able to catch herself just in time. "InuYasha…" She cried softly, her voice weak, tears falling from her brown eyes. It was growing darker and she could feel herself growing weaker with every passing moment. She had to find him, she just had to!
Stumbling on, she found herself following the light of the moon, as if it were leading her somewhere. Coming to the edge of the snowy hill, she looked down, and there illuminated by the moonbeam, was a terrible sight. He lay in a heap at the base, as if he had slid down (and sure enough, she could see the track marks his body had made as it tumbled down the hill) and landed face-down. Despite her pain, she took off at a run, her feet sliding out from under her, sending her tumbling down the hillside. Landing near him, she scrambled towards his side, reaching out for him with her numb hands. "InuYasha!" She cried, turning him over, desperate for the golden eyes to flutter open. "InuYasha!" This time her voice forced his eyes open, his nose wiggling as her scent filled his nostrils.
"Kagome…" He murmured, her scent taken over by the smell blood… her blood. And at once his eyes were flying open, his body heaving as he tried to sit up. "You're hurt," he groaned, taking in the pallor of her face, the brightness of her beautiful eyes. His hand reached up, to gently stoke her cheek as her tears began to freefall. Forcing himself up, he found himself to be shivering- even he was cold. She had to be freezing. "Can you walk?" He asked, his hand outstretched to gingerly touch her bloodied side and he hated to see her flinch at even the slightest of touches. But she nodded, rising up with his help. It was then that she noticed the bloody wound to his chest- one that she suspected hurt more than he let on. "How long have we been apart?" He asked, recalling the battle, but not what happened after. Naraku's attack had touched down and they were all sent flying… He hadn't even been able to protect Kagome. His heart clenched, but he had more things to worry about right then.
Without warning, he had swept her off her feet and into his strong arms; she opened her mouth to protest, but he would hear none of it. "We have to find the others." He said, more so to himself than to her; his mind was churning, thinking of only her and his other human companions. Just where were they? He took off at a run, flying back up the hill he had been thrown down, jumping high up into the treetops. His wound ached something fierce but it certainly wasn't the worst one he'd ever experienced. Carefully adjusting her weight in his arms, he leapt across the branches, the limbs offering little shelter from the swirling snow. As darkness settled, the cold deepened, settling into his bones. He could feel her shivering in his arms and InuYasha knew he had to find shelter and soon.
"I think they were thrown that way," Kagome raised her arm, pointing towards the west, her faint sense of their auras coming from that way. As her mystic powers developed, she was becoming more and more aware of those around her, and she could sense a person as much as she could sense the Shikon No Tama shards… However, in her current state, her powers were weakened, but she knew she could feel them out there somewhere… She could only hope that their friends weren't hurt and were perhaps even together right then.
InuYasha nodded, sniffing the air, and sure enough was able to catch their scents drifting along the wind. Taking off once more, he flew through the treetops, his amber eyes searching for any sign of the monk or slayer. In his arms, Kagome was in and out of consciousness; her mind was drifting over what had happened to them… Naraku had attacked so unexpectedly… His powers grown enormous by the strength of the tainted Shikon no Tama. And worse yet, it was nearly complete. Kagome could still recall the shudder that raced down her spine at the feeling of evil that radiated from both Naraku and the jewel- the others could not comprehend the strength and evil of that aura he gave off. She reached up, grasping the bottled shards at her neck, knowing that there could be no more than five shards left, and she had three of them. At the touch of her hand, the shards began to lightly glow, a beacon in the night. She held tighter to the bottle as she drifted off, her head resting against his strong shoulder.
Leaping across one tree to another, InuYasha's ears twitched at the sound of a voice. It was distant, but it was familiar. He picked up speed, knowing he needed to get Kagome (as well as himself) some place safe and warm. They both needed medical assistance and the warmth of a fire; he held a little tighter to her, his golden gaze full of genuine concern.
They had been searching for what felt like ages.
Miroku, with his arm around a limping Sango, had pressed on through the storm, shivering violently against the cold. His free hand cupped his mouth as he shouted into the wind. "Kagome-chan! InuYasha!" No mere human would be able to hear him against the wind, but he knew InuYasha would hear him. He just had to. "They couldn't have been thrown much further than this." Sango, who's other arm held closely to little Kirara, who had also been injured in the fight, looked up and around, hazel eyes searching for any sign of the hanyou or her dear friend. "InuYasha!"
Glancing down, InuYasha caught sight of the others and he leapt down from the trees, touching down right in front of them. "There you are!" Miroku's voice was raised against the howl of the wind, his arm tightening around Sango's waist. "We need to get to shelter!" He took notice of Kagome in his arms, her skin pale, her clothing bloody, and he knew she wasn't in good shape. And neither was Sango, with her bloodied, injured leg. He himself was mostly unharmed, aside from a good bump on the head. InuYasha looked unscathed, aside from a bloody spot on his chest, but he stood upright and carried Kagome with ease. "There's a village…" Miroku turned, pointing towards the east, to the village they had passed earlier that day. It wasn't much further. InuYasha nodded, already heading in that direction, his eyes sweeping over the others just once.
In the storm, it took a little over fifteen minutes for their group to arrive at the village; luckily for them, a few men stood outside their huts, cloaks thrown over their heads as they carried logs, dropping them at each and every door. Miroku, leaving Sango leaning slightly on InuYasha, went forwards, conversing shortly with one man. In a moment he was back at their sides with the man in tow, who was speaking quickly. "This way," he said, gesturing for the small group to follow. Down the maid road they went, swerving off on a path to the left, which led them to a large hut with smoke rising from the roof, telling them warmth was inside. Miroku lead Sango inside and InuYasha followed after, blinking against the sudden brightness of the room.
"Here, here, come over here," a woman's voice guided him forwards to a pallet, which he knelt beside, carefully depositing Kagome upon, before falling backwards himself, head thrown back as he breathed deep. Miroku eased Sango onto another pallet, murmuring to her as she winced in pain. He himself then sat, exhaustion taking its toll on his body. "Kaiya! Kaiya come, I need you!" The same female voice called out and from an adjoining room, a young, slim woman appeared, looking sleepy but carrying a basket full of what InuYasha suspected were supplies. Turning, he finally caught sight of the woman who had spoken, an old woman of perhaps Lady Kaede's age, also dressed in the robes of a miko. "Tend to the woman over there, let me see to her…" She looked up, fixing her green eyes upon him, her head tilted slightly. "You can wait, yes?" He nodded silently, his gaze swiveling to Kagome, who was shivering violently upon the pallet.
He felt a blush rise to his cheeks as the old woman tore apart Kagome's top, leaving her nearly naked before his eyes, aside from the strange thing she wore beneath. She would have been pissed to catch him looking and still blushing, he turned his back to her, instead focusing on Sango, who's outstretched leg was being cleaned and bandaged by the one called Kaiya. She was wincing, but as she looked up and their eyes met, she offered him an encouraging smile; he and Sango had formed a sort of bond he could never quite put to words. But she always knew what he was thinking in terms of Kagome and could always help him sort out his feelings without really even trying. "There you are," Kaiya said, a sweet smile brightening her features. She then turned to Miroku, her eyes finding his as she continued to smile. "Are you in need, lord monk?"
At once, Miroku snapped forwards, his hands reaching out to grasp hers. "Indeed, I am." He spoke, his tone lowered, a little husky even. Both InuYasha and Sango knew what was coming a moment before the words left his lips. "I am in desperate need of a beautiful woman to bear my child-" A fist swung down, knocking him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling to the ground, promptly ending his statement. Sango loomed over him, muttering something, her eyes darkened by rage as Miroku attempted an apology. The young woman laughed nervously, dismissing the incident with a wave of her hand. Standing up, she came to stand behind the older lady who was finishing up Kagome's bandages.
"There now, she should be fine in a few weeks. Nasty wound she got, but I'm more concerned about the chill she could have took. That all of you could have took." The old woman said, rising up, gesturing to Sango to follow her. "I have more rooms in the back, come now I will get you both settled in rooms of your own, and a hot bath. Kaiya will tend to you," the woman pinned InuYasha with her fierce gaze, momentarily reminding him of Old Keade. Miroku stood, offering his arm to Sango, who still miffed by his actions from a moment ago, refused and limped off, following the old woman with her arms folded, Kirara and Shippo tagging along behind her.
Kaiya came to his side, kneeling down, her presence gentle and reminding him a little of Kagome, with her sweet eyes and quick smile. "She'll be alright, you know," she said softly, reaching out to tug his single layer of bloodied robe away, discarding it to the side to be washed later. Kaiya didn't know these people, but she could read them like a book- they all wore their hearts upon their sleeves, even this hanyou with his bitter eyes that only softened at the sight of the unconscious woman. With quick and nimble hands, she wound the bandages around his chest, securing them around his left shoulder and back down once more. "There you are." She said, offering him a clean shirt, which he took but made no movements to put on. "I'm going to check on your friends," she then said, standing up, his face turning to look at her as she went. "If you want, I can draw a bath for you as well," his answer was a simple shake of the head, and without another word, Kaiya turned to slip from the room. Just before exiting, she paused in the doorway, only to see the hanyou had already returned to the girl's side, his amber eyes full of regret. Silently, she turned and was gone, leaving them with some privacy.
Reaching out, InuYasha grasped her hand, gently squeezing it, his heart full of so many different things: regret, fear, concern, and something else… Something he had never anticipated feeling again. Something he would never admit aloud. His eyes drifted to her face, pale as it was, it seemed that a little bit of life was breathed back into her cheeks. She was resting now, no longer fighting against the cold and the pain of her wound. InuYasha felt his heart tighten, knowing that he had caused this. He hadn't been able to protect her, or the others for that matter. His hand tightened its grip on her small hand and to his surprise, he felt the slightest squeeze as her eyes fluttered open. "Kagome!" His voice rose with his surprise as his eyes fell upon hers, which were darting back and forth, confusion dawning on her features. "I didn't mean to wake you…" He then said, lowering his voice, his eyes softening at the small smile she offered him. "You're safe, we're in a village." He explained quietly, unable to help but to reach out and brush a stray strand of hair from her face.
A village… She was remembering then; the battle, her search for InuYasha and the others… She shifted and felt the pain in her side, reminding her that she'd been injured as well. She felt tired and foggy, as if she'd not slept in days which told her she'd lost quite a bit of blood. "The others…?" She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, her concern for her friends evident. The last thing she remembered was leaping across the treetops, the wind whipping ice and snow into her face.
"They're safe too." InuYasha nodded and watched the relief flood her features; despite the pain she was in, despite everything, her concern was for her friends. "They've been given a room of their own." He went on to say, gesturing at the back of the hut where the door was that the other's had disappeared through. "You should rest," he returned his gaze to her face, which was still pale and drawn, and a shudder ran the length of his spine. He couldn't imagine losing her, he couldn't even think of what that would feel like. He'd lost a woman he loved once before, he couldn't go through it again. "You'll catch a fever if you don't." He insisted as he reached out to pull the blanket a little higher over her chest. Kagome was smiling as he pulled back and she patted the space on the pallet beside her.
"You need to rest too," she said softly and for a long moment they stared back and forth at one another, until he finally slid into place beside her. They had been here one time before, but the roles reversed with him being the one who'd been injured so badly. He wondered if she even remembered that moment. He rolled onto his side, propped up on his elbow so he could overlook her if he opened his eyes; but it didn't take long for sleep to begin to claw at him. Between the battle and chasing down their friends in the blizzard he'd managed to even wear himself out. Kagome smiled as she felt his body curve around hers, though not totally touching; she opened one eye to see him looming over her, as always close by her side.