Disclaimer: There once was a very poor writer,
who didn't own any… Okay, I give up!
Enough with the limerick! I have no imagination for poetry!
I don't own Inuyash or co! That's final!
Author's Note: Wow! That was a quick update! Just posted chapter 24 yesterday! Did everyone enjoy it? I took advantage of the extra day off from school to write more, even though I still have biology homework to do… So enjoy the extra while you can! I'll be busy again tomorrow! Lot's of fluff in this chapter! ^_^ Yay!
The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…
Chapter 25
Within the first hour, the snow was light and fluffy. (A/N: ß Note the hint here. Fluff? o.O *wink, wink* ^_~) All the members of the group, even Inuyasha, paused in their trek to admire the individual flakes that were gently falling all around them. The powdery flurries looked so softly harmless as they dotted everyone except the white-maned dog-demon's hair. Inuyasha shook his long white hair carelessly, dislodging the snowflakes from his head. He didn't even nag or complain when all his friends stopped in a wide open filed to play with the beautiful snow. Everyone seemed unaware of the cold for the moment, even Kagome, who was happily spinning and twirling around, catching the wet snow atop her tongue and eyelashes. Sango and Miroku were having a mock snowball fight, with the fox kitsune as a referee, all three of them laughing and screaming with excitement. None of them seemed to notice that what had started out as a light snowfall was eventually starting to get heavier, that the flakes were now pouring down like rice out of a large bag. The snowflakes were no longer soft and gentle, tickling one's skin as they landed. It had now become a full-fledged snowstorm, whose fast, sharp, snow petals stung the skin as it landed. Everyone became drenched, and they as hurried for the relative cover of the forest.
Miroku herded Sango and Shippou into the forest, shouting for Inuyasha and Kagome to follow him. Unfortunately, by that time the roaring wind was whipping around them furiously, and it swept the words right out of his mouth and away from the ears of the fast disappearing couple. The hanyou had gripped Kagome's hand tightly and dragged the shivering teenager in the opposite direction, likewise towards the sheltering trees. The monk smiled indulgently at their retreating backs, then turned back and shouted in Sango's ear for her benefit,
"We got separated! Might as well go on and find somewhere to wait out the storm! The other two've already headed the other way. I think Kagome and Inuyasha wanted to spend some time alone."
He gave her a suggestive smirk with an added emphasis on the last word. The demon exterminator gave him give a piercing glare for his impertinent implication, then whirled around, scooped up the fox cub, and stalked off, indicating with a tilt of her head that the lecherous monk should follow her. (Note: This is not a blanket scenario for Sango and Miroku, or Inuyasha and Kagome! But if you want it to be one for Inu/Kag in the next chapter, I'll be happy to oblige! Just review and let me know! ^_^)
Meanwhile, the two who supposedly "wanted to spend some time alone" were standing as far apart from each other as they could, trying to ignore the other in hope that they would just go away. The snow was still falling, but there was less now, here under the canopy of treetops. Kagome was still shivering, and her fingertips were pink with cold, but she still refused to admit it. Inuyasha showed no sign of being cold nor wet, except for his silver-white hair, which was glistening with melted snow. She glared angrily at the dog demon out of the corner of her eye, only to see that he had just been sneaking a glance at her from the corner of his eye at the exact same moment. They both started, blushed, then hurriedly turned their faces the other way again. They looked down at their feet uncomfortably.
The miko finally gathered her wits and spoke in what she hoped was a strong, angry tone, "Well, what are we going to do now? We're separated from the rest of the group, stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, standing in the middle of nowhere with nothing but each other and my huge backpack," she indicated the said item on her back with a gesture, then continued, "And it's all your fault that I'm co-"
She stopped, cutting off the remainder of her sentence and biting her tongue. Kagome refused to say another word. It didn't matter how cold she was, she wouldn't admit it in front of Inuyasha!
The dog-demon sighed frustratedly, and growled, "I don't know what to do! We might as well keep on walking until we find the others, or some shelter again. It's not safe to stay here. The trees might fall and collapse on top of us because of the strong winds." As he spoke, the tree nearest to him creaked and swayed to support his words.
Kagome looked frightened, but she set her jaw determinedly and said, "Fine. Let's go then." She stalked off quickly, trying to keep moving to stay warm.
"Uh, Kagome?" The futuristic girl stopped and looked back. "We're supposed to go this way." The hanyou pointed in the opposite direction, towards the clearing that they had been in before. She looked embarrassed, but said nothing as she turned and followed Inuyasha back the way they had come.
The dog-demon glanced worriedly at her wet, thin uniform as she walked next to him, stiff and indifferent. "Are you sure you're not cold?" He asked in a gruff, casual tone. The reply that came back was so sharp that he jumped, startled.
"No! I'm not cold! I'm not weak, I told you already!" Kagome yelled angrily. Inside, she was thinking, "If he can stand it, I can stand it. I'll just pretend I'm not cold. I'll imagine we're in a hot, dry desert, and I'm eating a bowl of warm Oden…Brrrrr…" She started to shiver again, despite her thoughts of warmth.
Inuyasha, whose fire-rat coat was water-resistant and provided him with an ample amount of heat, did not notice the bitter coldness as any more than a mere inconvenience, partly due to his enduring half-demon blood. However, against all expectations of our favorite yet insensitive dog-youkai, he noticed Kagome's shivering, and was worried for her.
After struggling with himself for a couple of minutes, he tried again, "Kagome, are you sure you're not col-"
"No! I'm not! Stop asking! And even if I were, which I most definitely am not, I don't have any other jackets or warmer clothing anyway! So just mind your own business!" Kagome yelled. Her unusually rude reply, which certainly shocked Inuyasha, was due to her coldness, and her unwillingness to show the hanyou that she was indeed cold. Already frozen into a proverbial icicle by then, with numb fingers and toes and quivering legs, the obstinate girl continued to trudge on through the thick snow.
Inuyasha growled at her stubborn comment, and hurried up to her and grasped her by the shoulders, turning her around to face him. She immediately looked down at the ground, refusing to meet her gaze. He sighed, and moved a gentle hand toward her chin, using a clawed hand to tilt her chin up and look her in the face. What he saw made him even more determined to make her admit that she was freezing to death. Kagome's hair was frozen stiff, with frost covering the wet strands like crystals. Her lips with tinged blue with cold, her nose was as red as a cherry, and even her eyelashes had ice crusted on them. Her arms were covered with goosebumps, her skin was cold and clammy, and her teeth started chattering soon after he let her go.
"Kagome! Listen to me!" He grabbed her arms before she could move away, and shrugged off his outer coat. Clad in just a white inner kimono, he quickly wrapped it around the girl's limp, shaking shoulders. "Here. Wear this. It'll keep you warm."
At that word, the girl regained some of her lost strength and tore herself away from the dog demon, screaming, "No! Stop it! You always think I'm too weak to take care of myself! Well, now I'm proving to you that you're wrong! Okay?!?! Just leave me alone!" She threw the red haori onto the ground, and ran from him, sobbing. Inuyasha followed and fast as he could, picking up his shirt on the way and shaking off the snow. He captured her again three feet later, and supported her before she collapsed to the ground in tears.
"Dammit Kagome! Will you stop being a stubborn bitch and put on the fucking coat!" He picked her up and shook her non-too gently. "Kami-sama, why do you always have to be so stubborn! You're going to let yourself freeze to death! Is that it? Do you actually want to die young?" He cried out in a harsh, passionate voice. Inuyasha looked at the sobbing, wet, frozen girl, took a deep breath to calm down, and put his arms around her gently.
"Kagome. Kagome. Look at me." The commanding, yet gentle tone of his voice brought the teenager's head slowly back up to look at him, tears still streaming from her pale blue eyes. "Please don't do this to yourself just to prove me wrong. I didn't mean what I said back there. I was just being a jackass, okay. Don't listen to want I said; forget about it. I don't think you're weak. Kagome, you're the strongest girl, no, woman that I've ever met. You're a skilled archer, and a powerful miko, and you have a strong, pure spirit. You're what keeps our group together. You give me strength when I fight. Don't think that you have to prove your strength this way. Please," he once again wrapped the jacket around the girl, tucked the edges firmly together around her thin frame.
"Please. Put this on, for me, okay? Onegai? Because I don't want to get sick. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you died. So let me take care of you, protect you, Kagome." Inuyasha breathed her name into her ears, puffing his warm breath over her cold skin. The miko finally nodded dumbly, and hiccuped once before throwing her arms around Inuyasha and hugging him tight. Without a word, the dog demon embraced her back, squeezing her to him as close as he could.
"Inu…yasha…" Kagome whispered in a tearful voice, after several seconds, "Arigatou. And I'm sorry…"
A clawed finger stopped her from finishing the rest of her sentence, as Inuyasha shook his head at her and said, "Shh…it's okay Kagome. You don't have to explain anything. I know. Come on, let go and see if we can find some shelter. You warm enough?"
Kagome nodded, and together, hand-in-hand, they walked out of the forest.
Author's Note: Soooo… So was that sweet and waffy enough for you? ^.^ I know you all like Inu/Kag fluffiness, so I put that in. And there might be more next chapter, depending on how my reviewers want it! So review and tell me whether you want the next chapter to be a little blanket scenario! Okay?
Review Responses:
C-Chan ~ Hee, hee. ^_^ Nope, it's not a blanket scenario yet, but enough people review, oh, say like 5 or so, asking for the next chapter to be a B.S. I'll do it! Did you like the fluff? Do you want it to be a blanket scenario?
Kodokuchan ~ Thank you! I'm glad you really like it! Keep reading!
chibi-chan ~ Yep! Definitely kawaii! I'll try to hurry with the next chapter, but it'll probably take longer because I've gotz lotz of school hw.
BookDragon ~ Nope, Kagome's not gonna get sick, and she's not going to die, obviously, (duh ^_^;;) but someone is gonna catch a cold soon! Guess who! Arigatou for the nice comments!
ChaosCat ~ Cool! Congrats on noticing the Princess Bride reference! Ya deserve a medal! That movie was awesome! Keep reading n' reviewing!
Laura-chan ~ Here's some romance! Like it???? ~ ^-^ ~
Itadakimasu ~ *giggles* You're funny! I'm sure that if you're insane, then I am too! Yes, fluff! And more in the next chapter! (Whether or not it's a blanket scenario remains to be seen, though) I want Inuyasha to be real too! Como estas? Estoy bien. Y tu? Come back soon! Talk to me! And thanks again for the review!