It was cold. Really, really, really cold. He and Kagome were huddled up together in the only passenger seat, shivering.
"Brrrrrr," Goku vocalized. "Why is it so cold?"
"I am a robot," their pilot reminded. "I do not sense heat or cold."
"You're lucky," the boy murmured, scooting even closer to his friend as he tried to warm up. "I'm freezing!" He couldn't quite hold in a sneeze and shot an apologetic grin at the girl when she made a face. "S-sorry."
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she sighed.
They flew on for a little while longer before she returned the favor, and they both ended up laughing-but that didn't last long. It just kept getting colder and colder, and soon it was all they could do just to hold onto each other they were shaking so hard.
"I-I never knew it could be this c-cold," he shuddered, teeth chattering in his skull.
"Extreme cold is typical of the Northern regions," their mechanical pilot informed.
"T-the N-North? That e-explains it... D-doesn't matter where I am, I guess that one m-mistake at that p-party will always haunt me... W-w-what I wouldn't give for a fire rat cloak right about now," Kagome mumbled to herself.
"W-w-what's a f-fire rat?" Goku questioned, tugging on her sleeve.
She winced. "N-n-nothing..."
He didn't really believe that, but he decided to drop it for the moment as he pulled out the radar to check how close they were. "H-hey, we need to land!" he announced. "M-mister robot, we need to land here! Are you l-listening?! Hello?"
Their pilot's next words were some of the scariest he'd ever heard. "Circuits frozen-frozen-frozen-frozen..." And then it stopped completely.
"O-oh no!" the boy screamed. "We're gonna crash!"
Kagome tugged him closer, hugging him tight and hiding his face against her shoulder. "Calm down!" she barked. "We're going to be alright, got it? I-I'm going to make sure of it. I promise, we're-"
The crash came before she could finish her sentence, but for just barely a second before he passed out... he could have sworn he saw a bright flash of light.
xxxx
Oh, gods. She hurt so much that she couldn't even breathe, though maybe that had just as much to do with the below-freezing temperatures as her forcing every last bit of the reiki that she had replenished into a barrier big enough for herself and Goku. They were both completely uninjured, so that was good - but now they were stranded in the middle of an icy tundra, she was tapped out even beyond getting wished on, and her pint-sized protector was unconscious.
This was definitely not a good day for her.
Using the last little drop of her power, she sent out a wave of quiet energy to call anyone that could sense it to come help them - and then she was swallowed up by the familiar wave of consuming darkness that seemed to be following her around as of late.
She really dreamed (because she would never use the word wish, not even silently) that it would just leave her alone sometime soon.
xxxx
Goku woke up next to a warm fire, his eyes slowly cracking open. He heard voices... He was inside?
A child - girl? - came up next to him, with flaming red hair and bright eyes. Right behind was an adult, carrying a steaming mug of something that smelled wonderfully inviting. His brain still felt fuzzy, but he was pretty darn sure that he didn't know these people.
"Who're you?" he murmured.
"I'm Snow!" the kid introduced herself.
Yup, didn't know that name. "I'm cold," he grumbled, sinking further into the blanket that had been wrapped around him. Kagome must have gotten it for him - wait. Kagome. They were in a plane crash! "Where's my friend? I'd like to see her," the boy requested, trying not to panic. If someone had found him, then someone had to have found her, too.
... Right?
The redhead's face fell. "I... I'm sorry," she mumbled, her eyes filling with tears. "I-I could only carry one of you, and she didn't seem to be breathing... By the time the blizzard calmed down and Mama and I went back to get her, she was gone..."
No. No, no, no, no, no! That had to be a lie! She had promised him that they were going to be alright! They, not just him! He struggled to untangle himself from the blanket, practically knocking his chair over in the process. The adult quickly placed the tray she(?) was carrying down and hurried to steady it.
"Calm down!" one of them hurried to sooth him. He didn't look up, didn't care which one had said it.
"I-I gotta go find her!" he yelped, still trying to get unstuck.
"She wasn't there," the same voice tried again. "We managed to find where it was that Snow had found you because she was smart enough to mark one of the trees - but she just wasn't there, not even when we dug around in the snow for a while. She must have gotten taken by someone else."
He deflated. "But... who...?" he sniffled, feeling his eyes begin to water. "I-I have to get her back. She's my friend!"
"It's alright," he was assured gently. "I'm sure you'll find her. Just rest for now."
The redhead started talking to him, probably trying to distract him. He didn't mind that so much - he didn't really want to start crying right now. Besides, it sounded like these people could really use his help...
Okay, that was that. He was going to help these people save their chief to repay them for saving him.
That the soldiers ended up coming to him was only a bonus. He could just follow their tracks back to their hideout and be done that much faster! And once he was done, he could go out and find Kagome. Then he could bring her back here and they could all eat together, and everything was going to be okay.
It just had to be.
xxxx
Kagome's eyes slid open slowly. She felt so heavy, and she could literally see her breath puff out in front of her face in little white clouds - why was it so cold? She stared blankly for a while before realizing that what she was looking at was a ceiling, so at least that meant that she wasn't outside in the snow anymore.
But where was she? Why couldn't she sense Goku?
And would someone please stop that stupid whooshing sound? Her head hurt enough without it, thank you very much.
"You're awake, child," someone murmured as if from a distance.
The priestess shifted her mouth and attempted to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse cough. Yet again, she swore to herself that she was going to kill Suzumiya someday for making that wish.
"Easy now, young lady," an elderly voice hushed her softly, an old man coming into view and laying another blanket on top of her. "You've been through quite an ordeal, and you have a very high fever. Just rest for now."
She didn't like it, but she didn't have much choice. She drifted back off to sleep.
xxxx
Goku stared up at the tower, his jaw set in determination. All he had to do was find the chief, and he could go back and look for his friend.
He vaulted up onto the wall with his Power Pole and hunted for a way inside.
"This place is huge!" he murmured to himself. "The chief could be anywhere..."
"I see you, intruder!" a voice spoke up out of nowhere, causing him to look around wildly for the person who had spoken. "Welcome to Muscle Tower!" it laughed.
"Where are you?" he asked, still glancing this way and that. "I can't see you!"
"What's it to you?" the voice demanded. "You're the trespasser, what do you want?"
"I came to take the chief back to his village!" he admitted.
"The chief? I see. You've been sent here to retrieve him, have you? Then by all means, come and get him! Take the stairs all the way to the top floor. You'll find him there." The door on the side of the wall gave a click, grabbing the boy's attention. "Just be sure to watch your step on the way up," the voice cackled.
"Thanks," he huffed. "That's exactly what I'll do!"
Without another word, he pushed the door open and entered.
Three men showed up before him, saying something about 'sharing'. He wasn't paying as much attention to their words as to their weapons, and he quickly beat them all up. He was in a hurry, didn't they get that!
With the men all knocked out, he gave a sigh. "I'm starting to work up a sweat..." Walking over to the wall, he pulled off the coat and hat that he had borrowed from Snow. "That's better," he grinned to himself, tugging his Power Pole back up onto his back and tying the strap that kept it there. He quickly ran up the stairs, finding himself in another room.
"Stop," a deep, almost mechanical voice demanded from nearby, coming out of nowhere and surprising him. "Intruder." A large man stood up, even bigger than some of those guys he'd gone up against at the martial arts tournament, and took a step towards him.
"Wow," Goku gaped. "You're huge!"
"I am the guard sent to destroy. You must get past me to proceed upstairs," the giant stated as it stared down at him. At least, he thought that the guy was staring down at him. It was a little hard to tell with the sunglasses.
"You mean... a fight?" the boy checked.
He didn't respond, but his glove creaked as he made a fist. "You're dead."
Goku hurried to dodge the blow, delivering one of his own in turn and laying the large man out. "That was easy!" he laughed, starting towards the next set of stairs. "I bet I'll find the chief in no time. Going up!"
He wasn't expecting to get grabbed from behind, or to get squeezed so tightly. "Going down," the guy corrected.
It hurt, and he couldn't help but cry out a bit as he tried to get free. It took a little bit, but he did manage it. "That was pretty good," he huffed, "but it's my turn now!" He rushed in quickly, jumping up and kicking the soldier heavily in the chest - so heavily that he slammed against the wall and broke part of it. He grinned to himself and turned back around. "That got him."
Of course, then he stood up again and proved the boy wrong.
Goku ended up taking a blow himself, almost got stomped on, and started to take the fight a little more seriously. Though it really hurt when he head-butted the man - and what the heck was with his tongue?! He shot it out and the wall exploded!
How did he actually get it back in? Did he have two of them or something?
Well, one good trick deserved another. He used his Kamehameha, only to start freaking out when the guy's whole head came off. He'd only meant to stop him!
And even then, the guy got up and kept fighting. This was getting ridiculous! What was it going to take to keep the man down?! The boy dodged out of the way of more attacks, finally getting behind the soldier and hitting him with his Power Pole. The soldier started slowing down some, but still kept fighting - but it was really weird when Goku blocked his fist and it blew up. But still, not even that was enough.
He got stomped and kicked away, finally losing his patience. "That's it! I've had it with this fight!"
He punched a hole in the man's chest, getting even more annoyed when the guy just kept going. Finally, after what felt like forever, the soldier stopped moving. After checking really quick that he wasn't going to get up again, the boy heaved a relieved sigh. That was tough. He hoped that there weren't going to be any more opponents like that; he had to finish this soon. He had to repay his debt and get out of here so that he could go find Kagome.
The boy rushed up the stairs, hesitating only a little bit when he saw how dark it was. A blow came at him and he hurried to dodge, ending up accidentally smacking against a rock. He looked around, surprised to see that it was like a whole forest inside.
Why would anyone plant trees inside?
More was thrown at him and he hurriedly dodged, finally coming to a stop behind one of the trees. "Who's there?!" he shouted. "Show yourself!"
The lights came on, surprising him a bit.
"You are trespassing on private property," a voice spoke up from somewhere nearby. "You are the first person to reach the fourth floor of Muscle Tower uninvited. I am here to make sure that you are also the last."
Goku glanced around this way and that, trying to find the guy. "Who are you?" he asked. "And where are you?"
He ducked quickly when something else was thrown at him.
"I am a messenger of death," the voice stated. "The great ninja, Murasaki! The only time you'll see me is just before your final breath." And then he started laughing.
The boy knew that he was close. He could feel it. But where...?
Behind! He quickly turned around, catching sight of the guy and darting out of the way as he brought his sword down on the rock that Goku had previously been hiding behind.
"You little brat!"
He gave a sigh. "That was close..."
"You weren't supposed to dodge that!" the soldier barked sharply.
The boy quickly picked up a rock. "Okay, it's my turn... Show yourself!" He leapt out into the open. "Right now!"
"You dare to challenge me?!" the man growled. "So be it!"
Goku kept a close eye on his surroundings, waiting for the guy to just appear already. He could sense him out in the trees, but he just kept jumping around! Finally, he caught the pattern and threw his rock, managing to hit the soldier.
He had no idea what was such a big deal about the picture he picked up, though. This didn't really feel like a fight anymore, especially not when he was told to go to a tree and count.
"Twenty-four... twenty-five..." Wait. What came after twenty-five?
He turned around and asked, not really understanding why the guy got so mad. With a sigh, he went back to the tree and started over after remembering that it was twenty-six. He did like this game, but he didn't have a lot of time to play around.
Finally, after looking around for a while and even going through the house, he heard something weird with one of the reeds in the lake - and then saw bubbles.
He grinned and went back inside, grabbing the steaming kettle, and poured the water down into the reed. The man came out of the water pretty fast, and somehow that ended up leading to a race.
Really, this felt more like joking around with Krillin than a fight...
The spikes were a dirty trick, but he had seen some shoes back in the guy's house that could take care of that. After going back and getting them, he hurried back out to continue the race. It was kind of fun, but he really did need to hurry.
Finally, the guy couldn't run anymore. Goku just laughed, knowing that he had won. The talk about killing him wasn't very nice.
"The games are over," the soldier stated.
"Oh, good," the boy grinned. "I really need to get out of here soon."
The man twitched and drew his sword. "Oblivion awaits you!"
Goku just blinked. "Who's that? Is he on the next floor?"
The guy growled. "Enough talk! My sword, once drawn, has never known defeat! Can you say the same thing about your stick?"
He frowned. His Power Pole wasn't a stick. It had been given to him by his grandpa.
The soldier charged, and Goku just waited for a moment before planting the pole and taking a step away with a mischievous grin.
The guy screamed when it went up his butt, but the boy just laughed. Now he wasn't the only one with a tail! The man ran around screaming for a while, and his laughter just continued. Finally, he retrieved it. "Can we break for a snack soon?"
He smashed the sword, just grinning to himself as he did so. Nothing could beat his Power Pole! Though, he was really starting to get hungry... Kagome would understand if he stopped and got something to eat before finding her, wouldn't she? She never minded when they were out looking for dragon balls and he wanted to get a snack.
The man ended up lying about being unarmed, after convincing Goku to fight him hand-to-hand - and that was really kind of frustrating. This guy really wasn't very nice at all! Though, when he started laughing, the boy started getting a little nervous...
Something sharp smacked into the back of his head and he yelped, falling over.
That really hurt... but he forced himself to sit back up.
"Ow, ow! No more dirty tricks!" he shouted at the soldier angrily. "Now it's my turn!"
"Impossible," the guy gaped. "No one could survive that kind of blow to the head, no one!" He reared back, looking mad. "What are you trying to do to me? Get back down on the ground where you belong!"
Goku growled and charged, chasing after the man when he tried running.
This fight was really getting on his nerves!
xxxx
She jolted awake to a metallic creak, still feeling light-headed and woozy - but at least she wasn't shivering as much anymore.
"Alright, old timer!" a voice announced. "Food's here!"
There was a brief stretch of silence, broken only by that continued whooshing sound.
"Hey, old man! Are you deaf?!"
"I will not eat while I am your prisoner," that same aged voice that had told her to rest earlier spoke. "Send the food to my people."
There was a clank. "Fine," the first person grunted irritably. "Let the ranch have it."
"What's all that noise I hear downstairs?"
Someone sighed. "It's nothing. There's some little boy running around."
"A little boy?" the elderly man repeated worriedly.
The other man snickered darkly. "He sneaked in, I guess to rescue you. Don't worry, he's probably in a million pieces by now."
She blinked hazily up at the ceiling, processing their words slowly.
"What! Why, you! Picking on an old man is one thing, but a little child?! You are barbaric! What if that were your own son, what kind of army fights children?!"
"Let go of me, you old fool! If he were my kid, I wouldn't send him here in the first place! What's the matter, aren't there any men in your village?! Pathetic." There was a loud, grumbling huff and another clank.
"What am I going to do...?" the elder murmured hopelessly to himself. "First they take this child in out of the snow and throw her in this cell with me when she should be getting medical attention, now they're attacking some little boy... I've got to do something, and quickly. That poor little boy is waste-huh? Cocoa! My favorite! Wait, why isn't there any food here for this girl? She's sick! She needs to eat! I knew they were barbarians."
Kagome let out a heavy sigh and let her eyes close once more, her senses spreading out sluggishly over her surroundings. It was a large building, whatever it was. There were so many people scattered all over the place, some awake and some unconscious, but coming closer and closer was a strong golden aura free of all taint...
She smiled weakly to herself and drifted off once more. "Goku..."
xxxx
"Hey, wait!" the boy shouted, rushing after the soldier that called himself a ninja. He was really starting to get frustrated with this guy. "Wait, stop will ya! I don't have time for this!" Didn't they get it yet? He needed to finish saving the village chief so that he could go find his friend!
The man threw another smoke bomb at him, stopping him for a moment as he burst into coughing. By the time the noxious cloud faded some, the guy was halfway across the pond.
He didn't get what the big deal was with the weird shoes, or why the man didn't seem to think that he could just swim across. Who cared if there were a bunch of pajamas in the water? The guy tried saying something else as well, but Goku couldn't hear him.
It was kinda scary seeing what happened when the soldier threw a giant fish in the water and it got all eaten up in barely a matter of seconds, but that wasn't going to stop him.
He just jumped across. Again, he didn't see why the guy was so mad about it; shouldn't he have been the one that was getting upset? He'd already said that he didn't have time for this stuff, and yet it just kept going!
Especially when the one guy turned into five. That was kinda freaky, and he just couldn't figure out which one was real - just that they were all trying to hurt him. After they said that they were really brothers, that made a little more sense - but still, five-on-one wasn't very fair. But, well, he'd learned how to make afterimages at the tournament. He could just return the favor!
He took them all out quick as he could, the eldest running around and dodging him for a bit longer before letting somebody else out of what looked like a cage. Somebody even huger than the first guy he'd had to fight in the tower!
Dang it, he was never going to find Kagome at this rate...
xxxx
The priestess was dreaming. She knew that she was dreaming - it happened often enough. What she didn't know for sure was why she was dreaming of this, and why now.
She was in the well clearing, in the Sengoku period - and there, staring down into the dark shaft as if expecting her to climb back out at any moment, was Sesshoumaru. He looked just as cold and detached as ever, his hands tucked into his sleeves and the breeze playing with his silvery hair. Kami, she had always envied that hair.
"You have fallen through space once more, little sister," he murmured softly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't mean to," she scoffed childishly.
He sighed almost as if he had heard her, but he still didn't turn around. "This one must remind you to keep a civil tongue in that head. You are no longer some homeless mongrel to walk the streets as you please."
She flinched a bit. "Hey! I was never homeless!" she protested.
"This one shall continue caring for your ward. The fox understands that there is great likelihood that you will not be able to return, and he will eventually come to accept this," he stated simply. "Also, do not concern yourself with the East. They have been properly subjugated as per the terms of our treaties, and Suzumiya has been formally stripped of all titles. His own Lands would even reject him now."
Kagome wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not, but she knew that it had been inevitable. The East had broken their blood oath, and the West was more than just entitled to punish them for it - they were expected to. That the Lands were still even around to reject their young ruler was already more merciful than she'd been imagining.
"You will, doubtless, attract trouble to yourself as a moth to flame," the inu spoke, his words getting softer as he reached out and placed one hand against the worn wood. "But in so doing, you will also once more find yourself surrounded by those of like minds. Do as you will, just as you have always done, and this one believes that not even Death will be able to capture you. Simply remember to do so intelligently for once."
She scowled. And there she had thought for a second that he was going to let her feel good about herself. "Asshole."
He shook his head, almost appearing amused as he lifted a package up over the well - wait, was that her backpack? That was her backpack! Oh, she took it all back! "Live well, sister, and may the day come that we shall meet again."
The bag fell down into the well, disappearing with a flash of light, and she couldn't help but smile warmly as her adopted brother took a step away from the structure. "Thank you."
The Lord huffed and turned, beginning to walk back towards the village below where he had most likely left Rin and Shippou. "Gods willing, you will perhaps even find that before you need it and not get lost even further in the process. Graceless little thing."
The priestess twitched and tried to pick up a rock to throw at him, but her hand passed right through. "You know what? I was right the first time! You really are an asshole!"
She could have been wrong, but she almost thought she saw his lips quirk up a bit.
xxxx
Goku actually kind of liked this big guy; he seemed nice. The Murasaki guy was really mean, but he didn't actually have any interest in hurting people. He didn't even like it that they were keeping the village chief hostage!
Before the soldier in purple could blow the giant up, the boy smashed the controller and knocked the man out. His new friend's name was apparently Android #8.
They talked for a bit, but Goku really was in a hurry. He ran up the next flight of stairs after shouting goodbye, finding himself in yet another new room that he just couldn't seem to get to the exit of! No matter where he went, it was one dead-end after another. He was just tiring himself out in here...
He heard something off in the distance, a series of thumps that got louder and louder. It surprised him when #8 poked his head around the corner, but he definitely wasn't going to turn down some help. He'd wasted a lot of time already, he didn't need to waste any more.
The boy followed 8er through the maze, both of them stopping to fight when the giant heard a bunch of soldiers coming towards them. Well, more like Goku fought. The big guy just tried to stay out of the way, even if he did end up tripping one of the men. After they were all out, the two did their best to find their way to the stairs. The fake wall really threw them off, but they managed to get through in the end.
Up they went to the next level, skipping past floor five since there was no way into it. Besides, 8er said that the chief was being held up on the sixth.
"Hey!" the boy shouted as he threw the door to the command center open. "You there! Are you the one in charge?"
A purple-haired man stood up from the lone chair, remaining silent.
"Hand over the village chief now!" he demanded, his new friend coming up behind him.
The man turned around. "I am surprised you made it," he smirked. "I'm impressed. You are a fierce rival - I would like you to join my army."
Goku stuck his tongue out disgustedly. "No way! This is a horrible place!"
"General White, sir," #8 spoke up politely. "Please put an end to your evil ways..."
"Heh," the man scoffed. "The dirty traitor speaks out. Well, you still have a tongue but your guts are gone!"
The boy growled, not liking the way he was talking to his friend.
"That's not true," the giant protested.
"Who brought you to life?" the general argued. "Tell me."
8er's face twisted with fear and guilt.
"Remind me," the man continued. "Who was it that built you painstakingly, piece by piece? Who gave you this body? Tell me who it was! Tell me!"
The giant looked away. "Sir, it was you. General White and the Red Ribbon army."
"Now is your last chance, 8," White ordered. "You can still destroy the kid... For me. For the army."
Goku really didn't like the crestfallen expression that brought out of the giant.
"I just cannot do it," 8er murmured. "I cannot be a part of your bad deeds." He moved in front of the boy, still trying to make his creator see sense. "I beg of you. The boy is very strong - please surrender. It is the only thing that you can do."
The man didn't say anything, just shifted his hand a bit closer to a big red button on the console.
"I've had it with this guy!" Goku finally announced. "It's time to stop being nice!"
White smirked once more. "I think it is you who should be surrendering."
Neither of the two had any idea what he was trying to say with that, but then he pushed the button and the floor opened up beneath them without any warning.
They both screamed as they fell down into the darkness.
xxxx
A/N: And so it continues... I just wanted to go ahead and throw in a quick 'thanks' for everyone who's reading this. I honestly didn't think it would end up getting much of any attention, but it's surpassed my expectations. Thank you!
Edit: 7/01/16