I don't own anything. I never will. If I did, I would be a some Japanese guy, but I'm not.
At least I don't think I am. ^-^;
Ok people, we have a race! *Grabs calculator and other gambling stuff.* *speaking into mic*
It's Rurouni Kenshin in the lead, with Inuyasha at a close second, followed by Trigun.
And all the other people that don't matter.
So all you RK fans, be happy! For all you other fans, vote! Or cry. Or both.
Onto next chappie!!
*~Chapter 12~*
The light flurry of snow had evolved into a great blizzard, winds strong enough to uproot a tree. The snow was blinding, at least a foot and a half of the stuff blocking their path. The group trudged on, their faces shielded by their arms to ward off the flakes that stung their flesh it was so cold.
Little Shippo was curled up in Kurama's arms, shivering as he pressed himself up against the elder fox for warmth. Inuyasha had lost all feeling in his bare feet, and he was sure that wasn't a good sign.
"How are you holding up, Hiei?" Yusuke asked the fire demon. Hiei just glared at him, but it was obvious he was suffering from all the cold. Fire demons have a naturally higher temperature than humans; they could take small doses of cold and be fine (especially in the case of sweet snow) but anything other than that was dangerous, not to mention painful.
Kilala was suffering the same, curled up in Sango's arms, whimpering softly. Neither of the fire demons had enough strength to try and burn a path for them, both were too concerned with staying conscious.
The winds whipped about, slashing at them with temperatures that felt like they could tear the skin right off your bones. Yusuke flexed his fingers, trying to bring feeling back into them, but to no avail.
They reached the lazy foothills of the mountain and trudged upward, praying that the side of the mountain would provide them some cover. Sighing in relief, they realized their prayers had been answered when the howling winds collapsed into a light breeze, gentle snowflakes wafting down.
Now they walked in a somewhat lighter mood. Suddenly, it seemed like the wind pulled a one-eighty, barraging them from behind. Kilala was forced to change into her larger form, so not to be ripped from Sango's arms and into the sloping rock wall. She bowed her head away from the blinding fury of white, struggling to trudge through the snow.
Kagome pressed on; her feet, hands, and legs screaming in protest of the cold. "We need to find cover for the night!" She screamed over the howling winds. The snow was nearing two feet deep now, making it nearly impossible to walk, but they kept moving.
The group was well into the mountains when they spotted a small cave. Slowly they made their way towards it. The blaze of white thickened to where visual contact was impossible, so they were forced to fumble around blindly until Sango saw a break in the blizzard.
"There!" She yelled, Kilala pressing onward, as the cat had seen how much her owner was suffering and offered a ride to her and the monk. The cat reached the cave first, almost collapsing inside as she struggled over to the far edge, followed by Botan on her oar. The ferry girl had suffered much trouble with the winds as she tried to get in, but was still faster then many.
Hiei, Kurama, Inuyasha, and Kagome arrived next, followed closely by the two punks.
"We have to get to the back of the cave." Miroku gasped, "So we'll be safe if the wind changes again." They all nodded and got to their numb feet, small groans of pain echoing through the darkness. They moved back, tripping over their own feet and various stalactites, as the cold had numbed their senses to beyond not caring about the rocky floor.
They clambered around noisily in the damp darkness, not caring if anyone happened to be waiting for them at the end of the line. Finally they reached the stopping point and slid to the ground, shivering and panting. Hiei curled up into a ball on the floor. He had never been this cold in his life! It seemed to seep straight through your flesh and invade your core, wondering if you'd ever be warm again.
"Hiei, could you-?" He raised a hand; a small flame shooting from his hand and igniting a plant everyone was huddled around, thankfully missing any pedestrians.
Miroku tore off his sandal, yelping in pain. It had literally frozen to his foot, and in ripping it off had taken at least a layer of his skin with it. Yusuke held his hands over the fire, wincing when he realized he could smell his burning flesh, but couldn't feel the flames.
"Urameshi, you crazy or something?!" Yelled Kuwabara, snatching his friend's hands away from the flames. "Believe me, you don't want Kurama to put that stuff on your burns, it stings like hell."
The snowflakes began to melt on their clothes and hair, leaving them all wet and not happy. Kilala, now in kitten form, somewhat resembled a drowned rat.
Inuyasha grumbled as he scooted his feet up to the fire. *I hate cold.* The ice that had somehow formed over his toes began to recede, exposing unnaturally pale flesh. 8Well at least it isn't black.*
Kagome had been pulling off her shoes and socks, also scurrying closer to the fire. *What could cause such a drastic temperature change. . .I wonder, could it be a demon with a shard of the Shikon jewel?*
The air in the cave began to warm up, and the group began to feel drowsy.
"Don't go to sleep yet." Kurama warned, "If you get hypothermia, I'm afraid even I won't be able to save you."
So they sat there for what seemed like an eternity, forcing their heavy eyes open until they could no longer, dropping one by one into a dead sleep. Hiei, surprisingly, was the last one awake. But after a bit he, too, fell into an exhausted slumber.
A few hours later the fire demon's eyes slid open, wincing at the bright morning light, amplified by the reflection of the flawless layer of snow. On impulse he flexed his fingers and toes, silently rejoicing when none of them fell off.
It was no longer snowing, the crisp white flakes covering the land and trees. The air was not freezing, as it had been before, but it wasn't anywhere near warm, as his breath still created a cloud as it escaped his body. Icicles hung from the outer edge of the cave, some spears long enough to rival Hiei's height, which really wasn't saying much. He was about to venture out into the blanketed land until the full veracity of the light hit him, blinding the fire demon for a moment. He stumbled back, an arm shielding his eyes, silently deciding to wait for the others to wake up.
Slowly but surely they came back to life, and thankfully no major nor minor limbs became casualties of the storm. Worry overtook them when they saw the bright blue sky become invaded by clouds, but at least it wasn't so bright.
Kurama stepped out into the snow. Well, more like sunk until he was thigh deep, which is a big deal since he is seven feet tall. Everyone else was up to their waists or higher, making the walk even more difficult than before. Luckily, Hiei was fast enough to just run over the snow without sinking in.
"Hey, look at me!" Shippo yelled, dancing around on the top of the snow. The top layer had frozen, and Shippo was light enough to walk across the top.
"Ahh!" Or not. He fell through, disappearing into the snow. Kurama reached down a hand and fished around for a moment before her pulled the little fox back from the snowy depths. Shippo grinned sheepishly as Kurama placed him on his shoulder.
Botan decided not to try and wade through the snow and jumped on her oar, smiling apologetically at the others, who were glaring daggers at her.
"Come on, lets get going."
"This is ridiculous!" Inuyasha groaned as he pushed through the piles of freezing snow. His feet had been lucky once, and he wasn't exactly ready to try his luck again.
"Inuyasha, don't yell." Kagome hissed, "You're gonna cause an avalanche!" All was silent for a bit except for the sound of snow being pushed aside.
One hour later . . .
"Uh, how much farther?" Kuwabara groaned, Sango looking back.
"Well, in last hour, we've progressed . .about six feet."
"What?!"
Inuyasha, who was standing next to a tree, began to knock his head against the trunk repeatedly.
"Hiei, can't you burn us a path?" The fire demon, who was sitting in the tree Inuyasha was bludgeoning himself with, smiled sadistically.
"And miss your torture, I think not." And Kilala was still asleep.
"Why you-" Kuwabara growled, pushing through the snow, "I'm gonna get you shrimp!" Then he tripped.
"AHH! DAMMIT!" He yelled, pushing himself up.
"KUWABARA, SHUT UP!" Yusuke yelled, "YOUR GONNA CAUSE AN AVALANCHE YOU IDIOT!" The mountain seemed to shudder, and they all whipped around. A wave of snow began to slide down the peak.
"AVALANCHE!" Kagome screamed and turned, running as best she could across the field of snow. Or maybe running isn't the word. Luckily for her, Inuyasha ran up and wrapped an arm around her waist and took off, running across the layer of snow. Kilala finally woke and transformed, Sango jumping on her back, pulling the monk on with her.
Yusuke and Kuwabara ran sluggishly, manga tears streaming down their faces. Kurama ran up and grabbed Yusuke's arm, pulling him along at lightning speed. Hiei, on the other hand, grabbed Kuwabara's collar and was dragging him along across the snow.
Despite the demon's efforts, the snow was still gaining on them at a ridiculous speed.
"Oh shiiiii-" Yusuke screamed as the white death overtook them all. It rolled violently down the mountain, throwing them about until it finally came to a stop near the foothills. For a few moments the land was still, a new layer of flawless glassy snow covered the mountains, no one in sight. All was silent.
A clawed hand burst from the white, grabbing a handful of snow as a head emerged, gasping for air.
"Kagome . ." Inuyasha murmured, pulling the girl from the crushing flakes. She was shivering and unconscious, but alive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yusuke and Kuwabara pop up. Kilala, too, emerged, Miroku and Sango draped over her back.
"Now maybe if we could all shut up," Hiei snapped, "We could get somewhere, bakas!"
"It was your fault!" Thus, another argument ensued. Everyone else sighed and got to their feet, face faulting when they saw those precious six feet they had claimed had been swept away, and about two hundred more added.
Thankfully, Kilala had regained some of her powers and was able to assist them, burning a pathway.
And so the trek continued, until they reached a pass in the mountain leading to a valley covered in snow, a frozen lake cutting across it. Strangely; the pass was clear of snow, even though it should have been the first to close up.
They drew their weapons and passed through warily, eyes darting about.
"What in the hell . .?" Yusuke murmured.
"YUKINA!"
Short chap, I know, but know you all know about the snow! And what's wrong with Yukina? And what will Kuwabara do? More importantly, what will Hiei do?!
DUM DUM DUM!!
And thank you everyone, for the reviews (it's been a while since I said thanks)^-^
Review!! And Vote!!!
At least I don't think I am. ^-^;
Ok people, we have a race! *Grabs calculator and other gambling stuff.* *speaking into mic*
It's Rurouni Kenshin in the lead, with Inuyasha at a close second, followed by Trigun.
And all the other people that don't matter.
So all you RK fans, be happy! For all you other fans, vote! Or cry. Or both.
Onto next chappie!!
*~Chapter 12~*
The light flurry of snow had evolved into a great blizzard, winds strong enough to uproot a tree. The snow was blinding, at least a foot and a half of the stuff blocking their path. The group trudged on, their faces shielded by their arms to ward off the flakes that stung their flesh it was so cold.
Little Shippo was curled up in Kurama's arms, shivering as he pressed himself up against the elder fox for warmth. Inuyasha had lost all feeling in his bare feet, and he was sure that wasn't a good sign.
"How are you holding up, Hiei?" Yusuke asked the fire demon. Hiei just glared at him, but it was obvious he was suffering from all the cold. Fire demons have a naturally higher temperature than humans; they could take small doses of cold and be fine (especially in the case of sweet snow) but anything other than that was dangerous, not to mention painful.
Kilala was suffering the same, curled up in Sango's arms, whimpering softly. Neither of the fire demons had enough strength to try and burn a path for them, both were too concerned with staying conscious.
The winds whipped about, slashing at them with temperatures that felt like they could tear the skin right off your bones. Yusuke flexed his fingers, trying to bring feeling back into them, but to no avail.
They reached the lazy foothills of the mountain and trudged upward, praying that the side of the mountain would provide them some cover. Sighing in relief, they realized their prayers had been answered when the howling winds collapsed into a light breeze, gentle snowflakes wafting down.
Now they walked in a somewhat lighter mood. Suddenly, it seemed like the wind pulled a one-eighty, barraging them from behind. Kilala was forced to change into her larger form, so not to be ripped from Sango's arms and into the sloping rock wall. She bowed her head away from the blinding fury of white, struggling to trudge through the snow.
Kagome pressed on; her feet, hands, and legs screaming in protest of the cold. "We need to find cover for the night!" She screamed over the howling winds. The snow was nearing two feet deep now, making it nearly impossible to walk, but they kept moving.
The group was well into the mountains when they spotted a small cave. Slowly they made their way towards it. The blaze of white thickened to where visual contact was impossible, so they were forced to fumble around blindly until Sango saw a break in the blizzard.
"There!" She yelled, Kilala pressing onward, as the cat had seen how much her owner was suffering and offered a ride to her and the monk. The cat reached the cave first, almost collapsing inside as she struggled over to the far edge, followed by Botan on her oar. The ferry girl had suffered much trouble with the winds as she tried to get in, but was still faster then many.
Hiei, Kurama, Inuyasha, and Kagome arrived next, followed closely by the two punks.
"We have to get to the back of the cave." Miroku gasped, "So we'll be safe if the wind changes again." They all nodded and got to their numb feet, small groans of pain echoing through the darkness. They moved back, tripping over their own feet and various stalactites, as the cold had numbed their senses to beyond not caring about the rocky floor.
They clambered around noisily in the damp darkness, not caring if anyone happened to be waiting for them at the end of the line. Finally they reached the stopping point and slid to the ground, shivering and panting. Hiei curled up into a ball on the floor. He had never been this cold in his life! It seemed to seep straight through your flesh and invade your core, wondering if you'd ever be warm again.
"Hiei, could you-?" He raised a hand; a small flame shooting from his hand and igniting a plant everyone was huddled around, thankfully missing any pedestrians.
Miroku tore off his sandal, yelping in pain. It had literally frozen to his foot, and in ripping it off had taken at least a layer of his skin with it. Yusuke held his hands over the fire, wincing when he realized he could smell his burning flesh, but couldn't feel the flames.
"Urameshi, you crazy or something?!" Yelled Kuwabara, snatching his friend's hands away from the flames. "Believe me, you don't want Kurama to put that stuff on your burns, it stings like hell."
The snowflakes began to melt on their clothes and hair, leaving them all wet and not happy. Kilala, now in kitten form, somewhat resembled a drowned rat.
Inuyasha grumbled as he scooted his feet up to the fire. *I hate cold.* The ice that had somehow formed over his toes began to recede, exposing unnaturally pale flesh. 8Well at least it isn't black.*
Kagome had been pulling off her shoes and socks, also scurrying closer to the fire. *What could cause such a drastic temperature change. . .I wonder, could it be a demon with a shard of the Shikon jewel?*
The air in the cave began to warm up, and the group began to feel drowsy.
"Don't go to sleep yet." Kurama warned, "If you get hypothermia, I'm afraid even I won't be able to save you."
So they sat there for what seemed like an eternity, forcing their heavy eyes open until they could no longer, dropping one by one into a dead sleep. Hiei, surprisingly, was the last one awake. But after a bit he, too, fell into an exhausted slumber.
A few hours later the fire demon's eyes slid open, wincing at the bright morning light, amplified by the reflection of the flawless layer of snow. On impulse he flexed his fingers and toes, silently rejoicing when none of them fell off.
It was no longer snowing, the crisp white flakes covering the land and trees. The air was not freezing, as it had been before, but it wasn't anywhere near warm, as his breath still created a cloud as it escaped his body. Icicles hung from the outer edge of the cave, some spears long enough to rival Hiei's height, which really wasn't saying much. He was about to venture out into the blanketed land until the full veracity of the light hit him, blinding the fire demon for a moment. He stumbled back, an arm shielding his eyes, silently deciding to wait for the others to wake up.
Slowly but surely they came back to life, and thankfully no major nor minor limbs became casualties of the storm. Worry overtook them when they saw the bright blue sky become invaded by clouds, but at least it wasn't so bright.
Kurama stepped out into the snow. Well, more like sunk until he was thigh deep, which is a big deal since he is seven feet tall. Everyone else was up to their waists or higher, making the walk even more difficult than before. Luckily, Hiei was fast enough to just run over the snow without sinking in.
"Hey, look at me!" Shippo yelled, dancing around on the top of the snow. The top layer had frozen, and Shippo was light enough to walk across the top.
"Ahh!" Or not. He fell through, disappearing into the snow. Kurama reached down a hand and fished around for a moment before her pulled the little fox back from the snowy depths. Shippo grinned sheepishly as Kurama placed him on his shoulder.
Botan decided not to try and wade through the snow and jumped on her oar, smiling apologetically at the others, who were glaring daggers at her.
"Come on, lets get going."
"This is ridiculous!" Inuyasha groaned as he pushed through the piles of freezing snow. His feet had been lucky once, and he wasn't exactly ready to try his luck again.
"Inuyasha, don't yell." Kagome hissed, "You're gonna cause an avalanche!" All was silent for a bit except for the sound of snow being pushed aside.
One hour later . . .
"Uh, how much farther?" Kuwabara groaned, Sango looking back.
"Well, in last hour, we've progressed . .about six feet."
"What?!"
Inuyasha, who was standing next to a tree, began to knock his head against the trunk repeatedly.
"Hiei, can't you burn us a path?" The fire demon, who was sitting in the tree Inuyasha was bludgeoning himself with, smiled sadistically.
"And miss your torture, I think not." And Kilala was still asleep.
"Why you-" Kuwabara growled, pushing through the snow, "I'm gonna get you shrimp!" Then he tripped.
"AHH! DAMMIT!" He yelled, pushing himself up.
"KUWABARA, SHUT UP!" Yusuke yelled, "YOUR GONNA CAUSE AN AVALANCHE YOU IDIOT!" The mountain seemed to shudder, and they all whipped around. A wave of snow began to slide down the peak.
"AVALANCHE!" Kagome screamed and turned, running as best she could across the field of snow. Or maybe running isn't the word. Luckily for her, Inuyasha ran up and wrapped an arm around her waist and took off, running across the layer of snow. Kilala finally woke and transformed, Sango jumping on her back, pulling the monk on with her.
Yusuke and Kuwabara ran sluggishly, manga tears streaming down their faces. Kurama ran up and grabbed Yusuke's arm, pulling him along at lightning speed. Hiei, on the other hand, grabbed Kuwabara's collar and was dragging him along across the snow.
Despite the demon's efforts, the snow was still gaining on them at a ridiculous speed.
"Oh shiiiii-" Yusuke screamed as the white death overtook them all. It rolled violently down the mountain, throwing them about until it finally came to a stop near the foothills. For a few moments the land was still, a new layer of flawless glassy snow covered the mountains, no one in sight. All was silent.
A clawed hand burst from the white, grabbing a handful of snow as a head emerged, gasping for air.
"Kagome . ." Inuyasha murmured, pulling the girl from the crushing flakes. She was shivering and unconscious, but alive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yusuke and Kuwabara pop up. Kilala, too, emerged, Miroku and Sango draped over her back.
"Now maybe if we could all shut up," Hiei snapped, "We could get somewhere, bakas!"
"It was your fault!" Thus, another argument ensued. Everyone else sighed and got to their feet, face faulting when they saw those precious six feet they had claimed had been swept away, and about two hundred more added.
Thankfully, Kilala had regained some of her powers and was able to assist them, burning a pathway.
And so the trek continued, until they reached a pass in the mountain leading to a valley covered in snow, a frozen lake cutting across it. Strangely; the pass was clear of snow, even though it should have been the first to close up.
They drew their weapons and passed through warily, eyes darting about.
"What in the hell . .?" Yusuke murmured.
"YUKINA!"
Short chap, I know, but know you all know about the snow! And what's wrong with Yukina? And what will Kuwabara do? More importantly, what will Hiei do?!
DUM DUM DUM!!
And thank you everyone, for the reviews (it's been a while since I said thanks)^-^
Review!! And Vote!!!