Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.
Author's Note: Hi everybody! Hope you like this next chapter! Tell me if there's anything I did wrong! I want to thank Mia-Jade for her review! Thank you so much! I'm so glad someone likes my story! Please: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!
The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… Chapter 8
"Oh my goodness!" Kagome cried, "What are we going to do Inuyasha?" In times of trouble, she always unintentionally turned to the dog demon for comfort and guidance. He tried to act casual and unconcerned, but the waver in his voice betrayed his calm countenance as he answered with a shrug, "I don't know. Don't worry Kagome," he hastened to assure her at the look of panic on her face, "We'll find a way out of here." He strode over to the massive heap of rocks that blocked the cave mouth. With a heavy grunt, he tried to push the rocks away. He tried to lift even one single rock, but the structure didn't even budge. He pushed and pulled, kicked and punched, but 'twas all to no avail. Two minutes later, he was standing there, panting with exertion and dirty with sweat and dust, but the rocks hadn't moved an inch.
Shippou was wailing loudly in despair, for he knew that Inuyasha was strong, and if he couldn't move the rocks, no one could. Kagome tried to hush him, but the kitsune only sobbed louder into her blouse. She picked him up gently and rocked him in her arms until he quieted, and hiccuping softly, he finally fell asleep with a chubby thumb in his mouth. In the disheartening gloom of the cave, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other helplessly.
Inuyasha sighed despondently, then kicked at an offending pebble that lay on the ground. He glanced around the entire surface of the cave, hoping to find something that would aid their escape. There was nothing in the whole cave except rocks, dirt, dust, and small hole in the roof. Wait, a hole? They could climb out of the hole if they reached it! "Hey! Kagome, look up there!" He pointed above her head, where there was a small hole, just barely large enough to fit a person through.
Kagome followed his finger, and shrieked in happiness, "Yes! We can get out there by crawling through the hole! Shippou, wake up! We're going to be able to get out of here!" She ran over to the sleeping kitsune cub and gently shook him awake.
Upon hearing her excited words, Shippou squealed happily and grasped Kagome's hands in his furry little paws as they danced around in a small circle, chanting elatedly, "We're gonna get out of here! We're gonna get out of here!" Finally, puffing heavily, the two stopped and looked up expectantly at the hole.
"Um, Kagome?" Shippou asked tentatively, tugging on Kagome's arm with a hesitant look at the hole.
"Yes, Shippou? What's the matter?" Kagome asked the fox cub, concerned.
He pointed up a the hole, which was at least eight feet above the ground, "How are we going to get up there?" Inuyasha face-faulted, while a large sweat-drop appeared on the back of Kagome's head.
"Aahh, I'm, not, quite, sure…" Kagome answered, with a pause in between each word. She turned with an embarrassed look to Inuyasha, who was standing off to the side, arms crossed and brow furrowed as he peered up at the ceiling. "Inuyasha, what do you think we should do?" She was ashamed of having to depend on him for advice, yet she felt strangely comforted at the fact there he was there, to be able to give her guidance.
Inuyasha had a thoughtful look on his face as he asked, "Kagome, how tall are you?" He turned to look at her.
Kagome flew into a fit of rage at his question, "What! Inuyasha! We're about to be stuck here for who-knows-how-long with a limited supply of food and water and all you can worry about is how tall I am? I'm five foot four inches, but what does it matter since we'll rot into disgusting corpses in this cave! I'm gonna die anyway!" She shook her fist at the flabbergasted dog demon, then proceeded to sob loudly and despairingly at the thought of being stuck there until they all died of thirst.
Inuyasha knew the stress was probably making her irritable and moody, explaining her unexpected outburst of tears, so he gently put his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly until she calmed down. "Shh, Kagome. Everything's fine. No one's going to die. I know a way to get out of here." He continued patting her softly and whispering inaudible words into her ear until Kagome had stopped crying. She wondered at his sensitivity and affection, but just sniffled once more before looking up into his face with large, moist blue eyes.
"Y-you know how t-to get out of here? We're not trapped?" Kagome asked in a trembling voice.
Inuyasha nodded, "See, if I can get you to stand up on my shoulders, then maybe Shippou will be able to climb up on top of us and get out to get help. How about it then? Sound good to you?" He flashed her an encouraging smile. Kagome immediately cheered up, although she still wondered at how tender and caring he'd seemed before. The half-youkai usually acted gruff and ill mannered towards her, even when she was crying. What had prompted this sudden change in him? Oh well. She shrugged inwardly, then blushed a soft, rosy pink as she realized she'd been crying in Inuyasha's arms. Luckily, since it was already dark outside and inside, even his excellent demon eyesight could not see the reddish stain that spread slowly up her flushed cheeks. She shook her head to try to clear it from the warm fuzzy feeling that she felt.
"Okay, everybody!" She clapped her hands, back to her light-hearted old self. She said in a blithe tone, "Are we all ready for Operation Human Ladder?" Shippou giggled at her joke, then, having remember a phrase she once used, chirped, "Aye-aye, captain!"
Inuyasha was relieved that Kagome was no longer upset, but all he said was, "Feh! Come on, let's hurry up. Unless you do want to spend the rest of your life in here?"
He trudged over to the spot under the hole with his customary scowl back in place, any signs of the brief moment of affection had long disappeared. Kagome followed him, treading lightly, as if she were walking an inch above the ground. She beamed up at him brightly before stepping onto the cushion he had made of his outstretched palms. He hoisted her slowly up to his shoulders, grunting with effort. Kagome refrained from grabbing onto his furry ears for balance; from the minimal knowledge she had of dogs, she knew he would not appreciate it. Instead, she clutched his shoulder as she swayed precariously from side to side, hoping that she wouldn't fall and break her arm. One foot slowly put its weight onto a broad, strong shoulder as Inuyasha murmured encouragement to the timid girl.
"Don't worry, Kagome. I'm not going to drop you. You're not that heavy. I won't let you fall." He continued to encourage her as her other foot also stepped upon his shoulders. Despite his reassurances, Kagome was a bit hard to carry, although she was slim, for her age. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and braced himself, trying to stay steady so he wouldn't alarm the girl that was now standing on top of his shoulders. He gripped her ankles firmly, then called down to Shippou, who was pacing around anxiously on the bottom, "Okay, Shippou, you can climb up now. Do it slowly, though, and don't step on my face or I might drop Kagome."
Kagome noticed that he didn't call Shippou a brat this time, as was his usual custom. The situation was too serious. And he also seemed to worry about her, she thought. Her heart sped up at the thought, but she bit her lip and tried to focus her attention on the kitsune that was now making its way up Inuyasha's back.
Shippou was lucky to have claws, for in spite of the fact that his sharp little nails pricked their skin as he climbed, they also helped him to keep from slipping down as hitting the ground. He dangled dangerously at the section where there was no clothing for him to latch on to, since there was at least a foot of space between Inuyasha's head and the edge of Kagome's skirt. But the agile fox managed to leap up and grab her uniform with his claws and scramble up towards the night sky. He paused for a moment at the edge of the hole, then looked down and grinned reassuringly.
He called out, "Don't worry, you two. I'll be back as soon as possible with help! Don't do anything naughty while I'm not watching!" He hopped up over the edge of the opening, took out a small green leaf, and concentrated. Suddenly, with a small poof, the oak leaf turned into a small wooden toy horse, which Shippou mounted with familiar ease, and he raced off into the forest.