Eternal Snow

Chapter 10

The Notebook

:-:-:

As expected, there was an immediate elated uproar surging through the castle residents as they flocked to any window they could find to witness the phenomenon with their own eyes.

It was true. The snow had stopped.

Kagome entered the expansive throne room surrounded by gray stone walls. A red carpet lay straight from the massive door to the small steps at the opposite end of the room leading to the thrones. They were empty at the moment which was a great contrast with the rest of the room. Servants, cooks, maids, everyone who inhabited the castle gathered in the large room in order to hear the queen's statements on the occurrence.

"Kagome, over here," Sango pulled her friend in the direction of a certain window where Miroku was quietly observing for the first time the clear air and the silent atmosphere on the other side of the glass. When he noticed his friends approaching he immediately greeted them with a smile.

"I was wondering when you two would get here," he moved to the side of the window in order to let the girls observe the miracle outside.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized, "I was taking a nap," she excused.

Sango blinked at her questioningly. "On the floor?" she asked, remembering Kagome was on the floor when she found her.

Kagome was going to say something before she stopped herself. "Yes, on the floor," she agreed nodding surely of herself with a slight hint of sarcasm. Sango and Miroku couldn't help but chuckle.

When the three of them returned their gazes back to the window Inuyasha and his mother had already entered and the buzz of conversation immediately ceased as they perked their ears to listen to the words of their queen.

Lady Izayoi, in her graceful beauty, flowed up the stairs to where the thrones sat. Instead of sitting down at her respective place she opted, instead, to stand up and face her subjects, for her joy was too great.

"It is wonderful for all of you to gather here now as it has been the first time in a long time for all of us to meet again in one place." She began, a truly joyful smile painted her lips. "I am sure most all of you have noticed that our Eternal Snow has finally come to and end after so long. And hopefully this occurrence will continue for longer than we can hope."

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku smiled to themselves as they felt their spirits rise at their Lady's words. Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk as he leaned against the wall behind his mother. Her happiness was contagious.

"As your queen on this lucky day, I hereby decree that this day will forever be honored as our day of freedom and hope and that you all may enjoy it in any way that you please." She folded her hands before her as her eyes twinkled brightly.

The smiles that placed themselves on her subjects' faces were nothing short of excited as they gazed up at their queen's decree and finally accepted the reality of the situation.

The snow had stopped.

The outside was safe to wander for the first time in centuries.

"Hey! The clouds are parting!" Someone exclaimed from their station at the window, causing a chain reaction which led many other people to crowd around the many individual windows of the room.

"I can see the sun!" rang another on the other side of the room.

It only took one glance and an exchange of smiles between the trio to decide what they would do on that joyous day.

Quickly, they dashed for the closest door that led outside, swung it open and threw themselves into the calm atmosphere. Shippou, who had just made it to the room in time to see them leave, trailed behind them… Followed by every other servant in the room.

Inuyasha blinked, surprised at how the room had emptied out so fast. Although, he couldn't blame them, he was just as excited to experience nature without the onslaught of snow again.

Just as he was about to leave he spotted his mother, still rooted to the spot where she had announced the occasion. When she still refused to move he blinked at her strangely. Carefully he went to her side, just in case he might startle her. "You okay mom?"

Her bright eyes met his as he noticed the excited smile still on her face. "I'm fine, Inuyasha," she nodded. "I still can't believe it's actually happening," she put a hand on her forehead in disbelief.

"Well, c'mon," he went ahead of her, "You probably miss the conditions you were in when you stepped out of your own castle." He stated knowingly since his mother had lived in another kingdom before marrying his father.

Izayoi laughed and followed her son to the open doorway, bracing herself for the familiar feeling she had missed so long ago.

:-:-:

"Hey Miroku!"

"Yea-" The poor boy was cut off as a ball of snow smashed into his face. The smile that had grown on his face at the sound of Sango's voice slowly vanished as the shock of the surprise sunk in.

Kagome and Shippou bubbled over in laughter as they watched Sango stand her ground proudly with a look of challenge in her eyes towards the boy, the sun shining down on her as it peaked through the clouds. Hands on her hips, she silently declared war.

Miroku, catching the look of challenge, smiled cleverly as he wiped the rest of the stray snow that bit at his face. "Oh, I see then. War it is." He agreed as he knelt over and picked up a pile of snow, molding it into a ball. When he rose to his full height again he was met with the sight of Kagome, Sango, and Shippou all poised to fire the snowballs in their hands.

"Hey!" he protested, "Three against one isn't fair!" he pointed at them accusingly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

His opponents only laughed, ignoring his protests and aiming carefully.

They all let it fly at once.

Thankfully, since Miroku had enough warning this time, he managed to duck and evade the onslaught of snowballs. But the person who had been sneaking up on him with another pile of snow didn't have the pleasure of ducking like his prey did.

Three snowballs smashed into the hanyou prince's face as he held the snow mound that was meant for Miroku high above his head.

The three perpetrators gaped momentarily at Inuyasha before looking away casually, feigning innocence.

"Alright," Inuyash growled, his eyes narrowed at the four people in front of him. "Who threw that?"

The two girls and kitsune looked at each other, pretending to wonder what he was talking about before they all quietly decided what to do. "He did it," they chorused, pointing at Miroku innocently.

Miroku gawked at them, "What?" he sputtered. "How could I possibly throw them?" He got up on his feet and pointed at the space between him and his friend. "I'm a foot away from him! How could I possibly have thrown it!" He defended, pleading for mercy with his friends.

Unfortunately, his charm seemed to have no effect as Inuyasha turned mischievous, golden eyes on his friend.

Dark eyes widened horror as he spotted the mound of snow now towering above him. Just when he was turning to run he was bombarded in a large pile of snow, courtesy of Inuyasha.

The other three witnesses doubled over in laughter as they watched the pile of snow; Miroku's hand was the only thing that stuck out as it twitched.

Inuyasha smirked as his friend popped up out of the small hill he was buried in. "I'm not the one who did it!" Miroku argued.

"Oh c'mon Miroku! I'm not an idiot," Inuyasha crossed his hands over his chest as he sent a playful smirk the girls' way. "Now it's time to punish the one's who did do it."

Kagome, Sango, and Shippou chanced a glance at each other… and then dashed off in different directions, their playful laughs still floating in the air.

"I'm on Inuyasha's team!" Miroku declared, holding his hand high up in the air so that he wasn't missed.

"Just get off the ground and help me!" Inuyasha called to his friend, already chasing after his targets.

:-:-:

Inuyasha dashed through the snow, the powder he kicked up trailed behind him as he ran. His silver hair flowed behind him, the color mixing in with the white snow.

He had already nailed Shippou with a well-aimed, larger than necessary, snow ball which checked one victim off his list. Miroku insisted that he would be the one to exact revenge on Sango. That only left one more person: Kagome.

His golden eyes moved back and forth, trying to pinpoint the exact location of Kagome's scent. He had to hand it to her, that girl could run for human.

Finally he found his target as she ran in the snow, the material of her clothing gently brushing the surface of the light snow on the ground. She was none the wiser that her hunter had found her. He swept down, grabbing and hand full of snow in his large hands, molding it into a perfect ball.

He threw it, applying enough force and aiming perfectly so that it was sure to hit her.

Well, it would have if a certain kitsune hadn't intervened.

"Kagome!" The kitsune shrieked from his pile in the snow, alerting Kagome to the danger on her tail.

The dark-haired girl, having read the fox's warning clearly, flung her arm out as she spun around, smashing the ball of snow into tiny snow particles just before it hit her.

To her it seemed like a lucky break to have destroyed the assailing object just before it hit her. She smiled and laughed to herself, reveling in the accomplishment.

But to Inuyasha, the scene was something much more.

He could have sworn that when she destroyed that snowball and dispersed the conglomerate of snow flecks his mouth had run dry. It wasn't only because of her impressive performance but the scene before him took his breath away.

Kagome stood there, slightly off balance due to her spin but laughing in such a joyous way that it made his heart stop. Her robes flowed around her, her arm still hanging out from her act on the snowball. The soft sunlight kissed her rosy cheeks as the remaining particles from the snowball glittered around her, reflecting the light in the colors of the rainbow.

But what got him the most was her smile and her smiling eyes as she looked at him. His ears perked as he caught the sound of her laughter on the wind, bringing his own smile to his face.

She was beautiful.

… Wait a minute… He shook his head out of his reverie. Beautiful? Uh, no, this was Kagome he was thinking about. As in Kagome, his hand servant, miko in training, lower in social status… and his friend from long ago.

He blinked as he stared at her, confused. But the scene before him couldn't help but strike him.

But then the moment was ruined.

Something icy cold came in contact with the hanyou's back, causing the smile that had started to form to instantly turn upside down into a scowl. He narrowed his eyes as he looked behind him, staring down his opponent.

Why wasn't he surprised when he found that it was Shippou who had thrown it?

:-:-:

"Gah! So cold," Kagome shivered, hugging herself tightly in an effort to warm up. She had been completely destroyed by those snowballs that Inuyasha and Miroku had aimed at her. It didn't really help that Miroku had showered her with snow or that Inuyasha stuffed a snowball down her back.

Running a hand through her hair she tried to get the remaining pieces of ice that had clung to the dark strands out. It didn't work.

"Kagome!" Sango called out to her friend before she entered the warm castle hallway. She had obviously surrendered her part of the war, but it must have taken a lot of convincing before she gave up since she was covered in much more snow compared to Kagome.

"I swear they cheated," Kagome muttered playfully.

"I agree," Sango smiled, "We'll get them next time." A determined look covered her face until she and her friend burst out laughing. "Anyway, do you want to take a bath? Lady Izayoi gave me permission to use the royal bath if we wanted."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, "Are you serious?" She certainly wasn't expecting that… The royal baths… It showed Kagome just how generous the queen was.

"Of course," Sango smiled and took her friend's hand. "Now let's hurry, I'm freezing in these wet clothes."

Kagome smiled at her friend, took one last glance at the sparkling, frozen ocean of ice crystals just outside the door, and followed her lead.

:-:-:

"Aaaah," Kagome sighed as she slipped beneath the surface of the warm water, letting it wash over her bare skin. "This is great," she sighed contentedly, a shiver running up her back as the hot water chased the icy feeling away.

"Yeah," Sango agreed on the opposite end of the pool. The magenta-eyed girl dunked her head under the water in an effort to get the ice in her hair to melt.

Kagome, who had been bothered with the ice in her hair, mimicked her friend's action before rising again to gasp for air. She leaned back against the wall of the pool as she sat on the shallow steps which acted as a makeshift seat. Looking around it was only then she noticed the characteristics of the royal bath. It had surprised her that the bath tub was as big as a pool but the interior of the bathroom was just as majestic. Glowing candles stationed around the edges of the wall illuminated the room in an eerie yet relaxing glow, causing the room to look like something out of a dream. Jars of bathing herbs lined the shelves on the walls, their sweet aromas wafting through the air to create the pleasant scent.

The blue-eyed girl inhaled deeply, taking in the setting around her. It was wonderful.

Sango noticed her friend's gaze and smiled to herself. "Impressed?"

Kagome nodded, mirroring the smile, "I shouldn't have expected anything less for the royal bath." She raised her hand from under the water, breaking the surface of the silky mirror around her and holding the many bubbles that floated around her in her hand.

She was content. The comfort of the warm water fighting away the bitter cold was wonderful.

Even though she couldn't deny how great it felt physically, her mind still spun with so many unanswered questions that had not ceased to plague her since she arrived. She hadn't told anyone about her mental state and instead chose to keep to herself about it. She had been having this tugging feeling in the back of her mind, as if there was something gravely important that she needed to remember.

But no matter how many times she tried to conjure up any of her memories she had only ended up with a headache with nothing to show for it. A frown wrinkled her face as she leaned her head back to rest against the large, pool-like tub.

The creak of the massive wooden door on the other side of the room snapped her out of her reverie. Opening her eyes, she lazily chanced a glance towards the open doorway only to snap upright and break away from her relaxation. "Lady Izayoi!" She exclaimed, eyes opening wide awake as her queen smiled back at her.

"Hello Kagome," she responded, her voice as gentle as it always was.

Sango spun around to face her mistress, alert to her presence just as Kagome was. "Would you like us to leave you, my Lady?"

The small smile stayed in place as the older woman shook her head. "Of course not. It's nice to have some company once in a while. I'm surprised I haven't asked you two to bathe with me more often."

In a matter of minutes the queen shed her robes and joined her closest servants in the bath. She mimicked Kagome's actions and relaxed against the wall of the pool, a happy sigh escaping her.

Kagome went back to her silent examination of her thoughts as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, her ears vaguely catching the other two women in conversation. She chose ignore it for a bit and mull over her own thoughts.

She still couldn't comprehend how she had survived walking through that snow storm on her own. Unless she had manipulated her miko powers at that time but, according to Kaede, there was no such technique that would allow her to circumvent such a storm. That ruled that possibility off of her list.

A frown marred her peaceful face as she overheard her companions' conversation.

"Lady Izayoi," Sango started, "do you have any idea as to why the snow stopped?"

The queen shook her head. "None," she voiced. Hugging her legs to her chest in a girl-like fashion her eyes went skyward in wonder. "In all my years of being queen I've never seen the snow even lighten once." She thought out loud which made Kagome wonder.

How had the snow stopped so suddenly? She recounted the exact moment she was alerted to the phenomenon and how surprised and elated she was at the occasion. Going backwards from there she suddenly remembered her mysterious journey down the stairwell only she could see.

Then it occurred to her- the snow had stopped while she was down there.

A mysterious snow storm… A mysterious stairwell that only she could see… And that cryptic tablet she had discovered down there.

"I beg of you to forgive me and I write these words in order to lift the plague that I have set upon you all…"

She twisted and turned the factors in her head. Even though she had wanted to forget them and live on with her normal life there was a nagging feeling that these were all connected.

Suddenly a vague, weak connection popped up in her mind; so distorted that if the thought left her she wouldn't be able to make sense of it anymore.

She jolted upright from her relaxed position, alerting her two female companions to her sudden revelation, though unknowing.

"Kagome," Sango looked concerned, "Are you alright?"

The girl in question smiled suddenly so as not to worry them. "Yes, I'm fine." She picked herself out of the pool and grabbed the closest, clean towel and wrapped it around herself. "I just remembered that I need to do some more studying before I relax for the day."

"But we've declared today a holiday," Sango tried to reason her friend into rest.

"Yes, but Kaede's death isn't going to wait just for a holiday," she reasoned back, drying herself up and pulling her clothes back on. Before she left she quickly bowed her thanks to the queen and left, resolute on keeping her notion in her mind.

Exiting the queens room she quickly encountered the mysterious door. Despite her previous haste she took this time to sort out her thoughts more clearly before heading once more into the unknown.

"If I'm right about this then I've gotten into something much larger than I can handle…" she thought, already feeling the sense of foreboding when she opened the invisible door to the stairwell.

She frowned when she noticed a difference in the staircase. Last time she had brought along a lit candle to light her way downstairs, but this time she could already see light illuminating somewhere deep inside, enough for her to see the steps clearly. And why did the trip suddenly look shorter?

Kagome took a deep breath and proceeded to find her answers.

:-:-:

There was definitely no end to her confusion was there?

First of all, the trip down the stairs was no longer the long trek she had endured the first time. Now it was noticeably shorter to the point of annoyance. Why it annoyed her she didn't really know. Maybe it just ruined the sense of adventure in it all.

Second, the pair of scissors and candle she left down there were gone. However the two candles that were stationed on each side of the tablet remained lit, which explained the source of light at the end of the journey.

Third, there was no more tablet. The old block of carved dirt that she had cleaned off only a few hours ago was no where to be seen. On the altar, instead, lay a notebook.

Blue eyes stared at it in confusion. That had definitely not been there the first time.

Quickly getting over her confusion, Kagome stepped forward until she reached the altar, her hands reaching out for the leather-bound book. She ran a hand over it as she picked it up; a sudden warmth washed over her as she did so. Upon inspecting the cover she could see the picture of a flower painted in gold against the dark black of the leather. It appeared to be worn out from aging but still sturdy enough to be read.

She opened it up to view the first page, the writing was still legible from what she could tell but the dim lighting of the candle was not so kind to her eyes. She was unable to read it.

With one last glance at the mysterious altar, she dashed up the stairs thankful that she wasn't rudely thrust out of the room like last time.

:-:-:

A great sense of anticipation and haste had engulfed her the minute she entered the prince's room for privacy… Well maybe not privacy, she could hear splashing coming from the bathroom which meant Inuyasha had returned from his day in the snow, but it was close enough.

She spied the comfy red seat sitting across the room- the seat Inuyasha always lounged in. She had always wondered how comfy it would be to sit there. Pacing over to it, she quickly sat down before her mind wondered if Inuyasha would mind.

And here she was, sitting in a chair with a mysterious book in her hands, ready to read. Despite her sense of foreboding, she knew she had already faced numerous mysterious things in this castle to be too afraid.

'Open it…'

Without another thought her hands quickly grabbed both covers of the book and opened it. Her eyes scrutinizing the small, fancy print on the page.

It only took her a little while to figure out it was written by the person who set the curse.

My name is Mitsuki Kouyama- the girl who trapped everyone in this castle of Kouriya and the princess of this land.

:-:-:

AN: Right… so, I guess it was a shorter chapter this time but I just realized my writing knack has gone bye bye again and I'm unable to formulate pretty sentences for now. I'm sorry again everyone! I'll try again next chapter, I think I dragged this one out a little too long. If I have time later I'll probably go back and edit.

Remember to review! Please!