CHAPTER FOUR
*
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, digging his claws through the snow, into the rock face. He stopped falling, then took a flying leap down toward the human girl.
Kagome tumbled down the slope, leaving a long scrape in the snow as she tried to grab something -- anything -- to keep herself from falling further. But snow was covering everything; all the rocks and vines were hidden. "Inuyasha!" she cried, seeing a blur of white and red spinning over her. Pebbles scraped her hands as she slid off the snow -- and over a ledge.
Her shriek was cut short as a hand shot out and caught her.
Inuyasha's claws dug into the flesh of her wrist. "Kagome," he said breathlessly. "Just hang on to me."
"I'm trying," Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha was breathing hard. Below Kagome was a sheer drop, swirling with snow and mist. But jagged dark shapes littered the ground. If she fell, she'd be smashed to bits. He tightened his grip on her arm -- and slid forward slightly.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said loudly, "let go."
"What? No way!"
"I'm pulling you over the edge! You gotta let me go, or else you'll fall too!" Blood began to trickle down Kagome's arm. She could see Inuyasha's other hand clutching at a knob of rock, but he was shaking with the effort of keeping them both up there, off-balance. If he slid... even a little...
"I won't let you fall, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as Kagome's hand began twitching in his. "I won't let go!" He could feel his claws scraping through her skin, but he couldn't loosen his grip. If he did, she would fall. He looked past her at the jagged rocks, and sweat broke out on his face.
I won't let you fall, he thought. A flash of memory crossed his mind -- the day Kikyo had been resurrected, she had fallen from a cliffside. From his own hand. The memory faded, and he found himself looking at Kagome instead, with her dark hair blown over her frightened face. A drop of blood from her clawed wrist had fallen to her cheek, like a tear. "Inuyasha," she whispered.
Inuyasha barely dared to breathe. If she dragged him off, he'd try to get between her and the ground...
The edge of the cliff crumbled, spraying Kagome with pebbles. She flinched and turned her face away. Inuyasha lurched forward, straining back. His other hand was barely touching the rock.
Suddenly arms closed around Kagome's stomach and chest. "We've got you," Sango said calmly. "Inuyasha, let go now!"
Inuyasha, his eyes half-closed, didn't seem to hear her.
"Inuyasha," Miroku said from somewhere behind Kagome's waist. "Release Kagome so we can get her up to the top of the cliff."
Now Inuyasha seemed to snap out of it. He reluctantly let go of Kagome's arm, with blood on his claws. Kirara growled softly as she raced up over Inuyasha and landed on the cliff.
As Kagome slid off the demon cat's back, she clutched at her wrist. Inuyasha was backing away from the edge, breathing hard. "Are you okay, Kagome?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'm fine," Kagome said. She winced.
"Let me see your arm," Sango slid off with the first aid kit.
As the demon-slayer bandaged her arm, Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He was still hunched over near the cliff's edge, with a strange faraway look in his eyes.
I let her fall, he thought, looking at his bloody claws. She could have died because I let her fall from my back.
He'd only dropped Kagome once or twice -- usually either deliberately, or because of an attacking demon. He had never just DROPPED her. She could have been smashed to bits in a heartbeat, and it would have been his doing. And in trying to save her, he had ripped up her wrist.
Inuyasha took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked, walking over on her knees.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"I don't know about that. You're white as a sheet." Kagome held out her bandaged hand. "Look, I'm fine. But... you should've let me go. I was pulling you over."
"What do you mean by that?" Inuyasha burst out. "Weren't you SCARED?"
"Of course, I was! But I didn't want you to fall too!"
"Didja think I wanted to just DROP you?" Inuyasha avoided her eyes. "We should get movin'." He stood up.
"Don't you want me to come with you?" Kagome asked, dismayed.
"It might not be such a good idea," Inuyasha said.
"Come on," Kagome said, touching his shoulder. "I'll hang on tighter this time."
Inuyasha reluctantly bent over, and let her climb onto his back.
The winds blew harder as the sky darkened, spraying the group with snow. Inuyasha squinted as flakes flew into his eyes. I knew this was a bad idea, he thought, holding Kagome's knees tightly against his sides. She had buried her face in his long white hair.
Behind him, Miroku squinted through the swirling snow. He could barely see, but a dark blur and a red blur were moving slowly in the distance, growing fainter and fainter.
"Kirara can't keep going in this weather!" Sango shouted above the howl of the wind. Kirara was stumbling in the snow, with her red eyes almost shut. "We have to find shelter."
"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted. "Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"
His voice was swallowed by the wind. The blurred figures vanished into the swirl of the blizzard, swallowed up by the snow. When Kirara had stumbled to where they had stood, they were gone.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, digging his claws through the snow, into the rock face. He stopped falling, then took a flying leap down toward the human girl.
Kagome tumbled down the slope, leaving a long scrape in the snow as she tried to grab something -- anything -- to keep herself from falling further. But snow was covering everything; all the rocks and vines were hidden. "Inuyasha!" she cried, seeing a blur of white and red spinning over her. Pebbles scraped her hands as she slid off the snow -- and over a ledge.
Her shriek was cut short as a hand shot out and caught her.
Inuyasha's claws dug into the flesh of her wrist. "Kagome," he said breathlessly. "Just hang on to me."
"I'm trying," Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha was breathing hard. Below Kagome was a sheer drop, swirling with snow and mist. But jagged dark shapes littered the ground. If she fell, she'd be smashed to bits. He tightened his grip on her arm -- and slid forward slightly.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said loudly, "let go."
"What? No way!"
"I'm pulling you over the edge! You gotta let me go, or else you'll fall too!" Blood began to trickle down Kagome's arm. She could see Inuyasha's other hand clutching at a knob of rock, but he was shaking with the effort of keeping them both up there, off-balance. If he slid... even a little...
"I won't let you fall, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as Kagome's hand began twitching in his. "I won't let go!" He could feel his claws scraping through her skin, but he couldn't loosen his grip. If he did, she would fall. He looked past her at the jagged rocks, and sweat broke out on his face.
I won't let you fall, he thought. A flash of memory crossed his mind -- the day Kikyo had been resurrected, she had fallen from a cliffside. From his own hand. The memory faded, and he found himself looking at Kagome instead, with her dark hair blown over her frightened face. A drop of blood from her clawed wrist had fallen to her cheek, like a tear. "Inuyasha," she whispered.
Inuyasha barely dared to breathe. If she dragged him off, he'd try to get between her and the ground...
The edge of the cliff crumbled, spraying Kagome with pebbles. She flinched and turned her face away. Inuyasha lurched forward, straining back. His other hand was barely touching the rock.
Suddenly arms closed around Kagome's stomach and chest. "We've got you," Sango said calmly. "Inuyasha, let go now!"
Inuyasha, his eyes half-closed, didn't seem to hear her.
"Inuyasha," Miroku said from somewhere behind Kagome's waist. "Release Kagome so we can get her up to the top of the cliff."
Now Inuyasha seemed to snap out of it. He reluctantly let go of Kagome's arm, with blood on his claws. Kirara growled softly as she raced up over Inuyasha and landed on the cliff.
As Kagome slid off the demon cat's back, she clutched at her wrist. Inuyasha was backing away from the edge, breathing hard. "Are you okay, Kagome?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'm fine," Kagome said. She winced.
"Let me see your arm," Sango slid off with the first aid kit.
As the demon-slayer bandaged her arm, Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He was still hunched over near the cliff's edge, with a strange faraway look in his eyes.
I let her fall, he thought, looking at his bloody claws. She could have died because I let her fall from my back.
He'd only dropped Kagome once or twice -- usually either deliberately, or because of an attacking demon. He had never just DROPPED her. She could have been smashed to bits in a heartbeat, and it would have been his doing. And in trying to save her, he had ripped up her wrist.
Inuyasha took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked, walking over on her knees.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"I don't know about that. You're white as a sheet." Kagome held out her bandaged hand. "Look, I'm fine. But... you should've let me go. I was pulling you over."
"What do you mean by that?" Inuyasha burst out. "Weren't you SCARED?"
"Of course, I was! But I didn't want you to fall too!"
"Didja think I wanted to just DROP you?" Inuyasha avoided her eyes. "We should get movin'." He stood up.
"Don't you want me to come with you?" Kagome asked, dismayed.
"It might not be such a good idea," Inuyasha said.
"Come on," Kagome said, touching his shoulder. "I'll hang on tighter this time."
Inuyasha reluctantly bent over, and let her climb onto his back.
The winds blew harder as the sky darkened, spraying the group with snow. Inuyasha squinted as flakes flew into his eyes. I knew this was a bad idea, he thought, holding Kagome's knees tightly against his sides. She had buried her face in his long white hair.
Behind him, Miroku squinted through the swirling snow. He could barely see, but a dark blur and a red blur were moving slowly in the distance, growing fainter and fainter.
"Kirara can't keep going in this weather!" Sango shouted above the howl of the wind. Kirara was stumbling in the snow, with her red eyes almost shut. "We have to find shelter."
"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted. "Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"
His voice was swallowed by the wind. The blurred figures vanished into the swirl of the blizzard, swallowed up by the snow. When Kirara had stumbled to where they had stood, they were gone.
TO BE CONTINUED
