CHAPTER SIXTEEN
*
The wind blew Kagome's hair back from her face as she looked over the balcony. The view made her dizzy. Mists were swirling and flowing under her like a river, and occasionally she could see the ground through them. It was a very long way down.
"How are we going to get down?" she asked, inching back.
"No problem." Inuyasha bent down and began wrapping Miroku's outer robe around his legs, like a pair of makeshift pants. He looked a little odd in the borrowed outer robe, which left his chest and most of his legs bare, once he had it arranged to his liking. Kagome smiled a little at the idea of Inuyasha dressed as a Buddhist monk.
When he was finished adjusting the robes, he dropped to one knee. "Hop on."
"Are you strong enough to do that?" Kagome said.
"Sure. I picked ya up last night, didn't I? Come on."
Kagome hesitantly climbed onto Inuyasha's back. He curled his arms under her legs before taking a flying leap off the balcony. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as he leaped from ledge to ledge, cutting through the mist.
Dark shapes darted under them as Inuyasha paused near the ground. He sniffed. "Wolves," he grumbled under his breath.
"Koga's wolves," Kagome said, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"What are those fleabitten creeps doing here?" Inuyasha growled.
"They've been following me whenever I left the village. They were scared to come any closer when Sesshoumaru was here."
"Well, let 'em take a sniff at me," Inuyasha said with a tight little smile. "Let 'em confuse Koga a bit more. If he thinks he can just take you when"
"You're going to confuse a lot of people," Kagome said.
Inuyasha landed with a bloodcurdling yell in the midst of the dark shapes and raised his clawed hands. The wolves sniffed the air, then backed away, whining and laying back their ears. They eyed Inuyasha suspiciously, then turned and vanished into the woods, growling softly.
Inuyasha looked around the clearing with satisfaction. "Why'd you say that?" he asked.
Kagome slid off and strode over to the glade where she had tied her bike. "Well, I'm sure everybody knows you died before, but I didn't tell anyone before I left. The only people who know you're alive now are me and Sesshoumaru and... JAKEN!" Her voice rose to a shriek. "I'm gonna kill that little toad!"
Inuyasha rushed to her side. A heap of melted, burned metal and plastic was stuck to some tree roots. Apparently Jaken had been putting his staff to work on her bicycle. Kagome was fuming, struggling to think up some words to express how she felt.
"Come on, hop on me again," Inuyasha said, bending over. "I'm not totally used to this new body, but I can get us to the village."
With Kagome on his back, Inuyasha leaped over the treetops. The dark forms of wolf-demons appeared in the woods below; he could smell them. But none of them -- except Koga, if he was there -- could even dream of catching up with him. With another soaring leap, he passed them and landed on the riverbank.
Kagome felt her heart rise as the sun spilled through the clouds. A cool breeze was blowing in from the river, and she was skimming over the treetops with Inuyasha, just the way she had ever since arriving in medieval Japan. She rested her hands on his shoulders and pressed her cheek against his neck, watching the morning sun melt away with the night fogs from the mountainsides, and set the rivers on fire.
It was a cliche, but she felt as if she and Inuyasha were the only people, alone together in a reborn world. The mountains, fields and forests seemed to stretch forever, falling away swiftly as Inuyasha ran. On impulse, Kagome hugged Inuyasha from behind. He squeezed her knees, the only response he could make while he carried her.
As they came closer to Kaede's village, Inuyasha leapt up into the boughs of the towering God-Tree, bouncing higher with every breath. Then he soared from the uppermost bough down to the hillside overlooking the village. He didn't see the tears in Kagome's eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The wind blew Kagome's hair back from her face as she looked over the balcony. The view made her dizzy. Mists were swirling and flowing under her like a river, and occasionally she could see the ground through them. It was a very long way down.
"How are we going to get down?" she asked, inching back.
"No problem." Inuyasha bent down and began wrapping Miroku's outer robe around his legs, like a pair of makeshift pants. He looked a little odd in the borrowed outer robe, which left his chest and most of his legs bare, once he had it arranged to his liking. Kagome smiled a little at the idea of Inuyasha dressed as a Buddhist monk.
When he was finished adjusting the robes, he dropped to one knee. "Hop on."
"Are you strong enough to do that?" Kagome said.
"Sure. I picked ya up last night, didn't I? Come on."
Kagome hesitantly climbed onto Inuyasha's back. He curled his arms under her legs before taking a flying leap off the balcony. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as he leaped from ledge to ledge, cutting through the mist.
Dark shapes darted under them as Inuyasha paused near the ground. He sniffed. "Wolves," he grumbled under his breath.
"Koga's wolves," Kagome said, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"What are those fleabitten creeps doing here?" Inuyasha growled.
"They've been following me whenever I left the village. They were scared to come any closer when Sesshoumaru was here."
"Well, let 'em take a sniff at me," Inuyasha said with a tight little smile. "Let 'em confuse Koga a bit more. If he thinks he can just take you when"
"You're going to confuse a lot of people," Kagome said.
Inuyasha landed with a bloodcurdling yell in the midst of the dark shapes and raised his clawed hands. The wolves sniffed the air, then backed away, whining and laying back their ears. They eyed Inuyasha suspiciously, then turned and vanished into the woods, growling softly.
Inuyasha looked around the clearing with satisfaction. "Why'd you say that?" he asked.
Kagome slid off and strode over to the glade where she had tied her bike. "Well, I'm sure everybody knows you died before, but I didn't tell anyone before I left. The only people who know you're alive now are me and Sesshoumaru and... JAKEN!" Her voice rose to a shriek. "I'm gonna kill that little toad!"
Inuyasha rushed to her side. A heap of melted, burned metal and plastic was stuck to some tree roots. Apparently Jaken had been putting his staff to work on her bicycle. Kagome was fuming, struggling to think up some words to express how she felt.
"Come on, hop on me again," Inuyasha said, bending over. "I'm not totally used to this new body, but I can get us to the village."
With Kagome on his back, Inuyasha leaped over the treetops. The dark forms of wolf-demons appeared in the woods below; he could smell them. But none of them -- except Koga, if he was there -- could even dream of catching up with him. With another soaring leap, he passed them and landed on the riverbank.
Kagome felt her heart rise as the sun spilled through the clouds. A cool breeze was blowing in from the river, and she was skimming over the treetops with Inuyasha, just the way she had ever since arriving in medieval Japan. She rested her hands on his shoulders and pressed her cheek against his neck, watching the morning sun melt away with the night fogs from the mountainsides, and set the rivers on fire.
It was a cliche, but she felt as if she and Inuyasha were the only people, alone together in a reborn world. The mountains, fields and forests seemed to stretch forever, falling away swiftly as Inuyasha ran. On impulse, Kagome hugged Inuyasha from behind. He squeezed her knees, the only response he could make while he carried her.
As they came closer to Kaede's village, Inuyasha leapt up into the boughs of the towering God-Tree, bouncing higher with every breath. Then he soared from the uppermost bough down to the hillside overlooking the village. He didn't see the tears in Kagome's eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED