CHAPTER TWO
*
"Do you like travelling with me?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her. He jumped off a boulder and walked quickly down the road, around the mossy fallen trees. His long white hair was blown to the side by a gust of wind; with his preoccupied expression, he looked almost like his brother for a moment.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called.
"What?" Inuyasha said, stopping.
"Do you like travelling with me?" Kagome repeated. "I mean, even if the others weren't here." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, at the figures far behind them.
Inuyasha's yellow eyes narrowed. "Zactly what are you asking? Of course I like travelling with you. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother, would I?" He turned and began walking again.
Kagome smiled slightly. At least he didn't say I was just a shard detector, she thought, shifting her backpack on her shoulders. She sometimes wondered if Inuyasha really did like being around her, usually when he was being unusually crabby. It wasn't really in his nature to be kindly and open, but at times he was outright impossible to live with. Sango had once asked how Kagome could put up with it.
But sometimes he had moments -- sometimes only for a few minutes -- where he opened up and let her see a little of what was underneath all the spines and prickles. Glimpses of a frightened child whom no one wanted, of a lonely young boy who had fallen for a venerated priestess and been amazed that she might want him too, and of the Inuyasha of the present, who was only just working himself up to trust others again. He was more than slightly messed up. If he'd been born in Kagome's time, he would have spent half his life on a shrink's couch -- at least a year on his Kikyo hangups alone.
They had been travelling for a few days, and Inuyasha seemed reluctant to go any faster than they had been. "It's probably just a stupid rumor. I mean, if it were an actual demon, then somebody would've seen it."
"Well, it can't hurt to check on it," Kagome had argued.
"Hmph."
"Come on. You used to go off half-cocked at the slightest HINT of a Shikon shard, and now you're fussing because you don't think it sounds plausible? In my first week here, I was attacked by you, a flesh-eating crow, a guy who turns into a giant dog, and a woman who was actually a comb. What exactly counts as 'weird' in your book?"
Inuyasha conceded that it wasn't the weirdest thing they had encountered. But he brooded as they slipped through the woods, and Kagome wondered what was bothering him.
*
"So that's it," Inuyasha said, folding his arms. "The Cursed Mountain. Looks pretty shallow to me."
Kagome peered past him. The mountain really wasn't very high -- certainly not the highest she'd seen. It ran along shallow slopes and sharp spikes, then suddenly went directly up to a narrow point. That wasn't what was odd. The entire mountain was blanketed in snow, spread over the ground for a few miles around the mountain's base.
A cold wind blew past them. Kagome shivered. But Inuyasha just narrowed his yellow eyes, "Can you sense any jewel shards?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.
"No," Kagome said. She squinted at the mountain; it was shimmering too brightly, now that the sun was coming back out.
"Of course, at this distance they might simply be too far off," Miroku said, leaning on his staff.
"Feh," Inuyasha said, staring morosely at the mountain.
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, leaning over Kirara's fanged head. The demon cat watched her mistress unblinkingly, then tried to scratch off the bundles Kagome had tied to her back.
"I just don't like this place," Inuyasha snapped. He knelt down. "Jump on, Kagome. We can get partway up the slope in a few hours."
Kagome settled herself on his back, and hung on as he leaped down the steep hillside.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Do you like travelling with me?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her. He jumped off a boulder and walked quickly down the road, around the mossy fallen trees. His long white hair was blown to the side by a gust of wind; with his preoccupied expression, he looked almost like his brother for a moment.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called.
"What?" Inuyasha said, stopping.
"Do you like travelling with me?" Kagome repeated. "I mean, even if the others weren't here." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, at the figures far behind them.
Inuyasha's yellow eyes narrowed. "Zactly what are you asking? Of course I like travelling with you. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother, would I?" He turned and began walking again.
Kagome smiled slightly. At least he didn't say I was just a shard detector, she thought, shifting her backpack on her shoulders. She sometimes wondered if Inuyasha really did like being around her, usually when he was being unusually crabby. It wasn't really in his nature to be kindly and open, but at times he was outright impossible to live with. Sango had once asked how Kagome could put up with it.
But sometimes he had moments -- sometimes only for a few minutes -- where he opened up and let her see a little of what was underneath all the spines and prickles. Glimpses of a frightened child whom no one wanted, of a lonely young boy who had fallen for a venerated priestess and been amazed that she might want him too, and of the Inuyasha of the present, who was only just working himself up to trust others again. He was more than slightly messed up. If he'd been born in Kagome's time, he would have spent half his life on a shrink's couch -- at least a year on his Kikyo hangups alone.
They had been travelling for a few days, and Inuyasha seemed reluctant to go any faster than they had been. "It's probably just a stupid rumor. I mean, if it were an actual demon, then somebody would've seen it."
"Well, it can't hurt to check on it," Kagome had argued.
"Hmph."
"Come on. You used to go off half-cocked at the slightest HINT of a Shikon shard, and now you're fussing because you don't think it sounds plausible? In my first week here, I was attacked by you, a flesh-eating crow, a guy who turns into a giant dog, and a woman who was actually a comb. What exactly counts as 'weird' in your book?"
Inuyasha conceded that it wasn't the weirdest thing they had encountered. But he brooded as they slipped through the woods, and Kagome wondered what was bothering him.
*
"So that's it," Inuyasha said, folding his arms. "The Cursed Mountain. Looks pretty shallow to me."
Kagome peered past him. The mountain really wasn't very high -- certainly not the highest she'd seen. It ran along shallow slopes and sharp spikes, then suddenly went directly up to a narrow point. That wasn't what was odd. The entire mountain was blanketed in snow, spread over the ground for a few miles around the mountain's base.
A cold wind blew past them. Kagome shivered. But Inuyasha just narrowed his yellow eyes, "Can you sense any jewel shards?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.
"No," Kagome said. She squinted at the mountain; it was shimmering too brightly, now that the sun was coming back out.
"Of course, at this distance they might simply be too far off," Miroku said, leaning on his staff.
"Feh," Inuyasha said, staring morosely at the mountain.
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, leaning over Kirara's fanged head. The demon cat watched her mistress unblinkingly, then tried to scratch off the bundles Kagome had tied to her back.
"I just don't like this place," Inuyasha snapped. He knelt down. "Jump on, Kagome. We can get partway up the slope in a few hours."
Kagome settled herself on his back, and hung on as he leaped down the steep hillside.
TO BE CONTINUED
