CHAPTER EIGHT
*
"Can you see anything?" Miroku shouted into Sango's hair. Most of it had blown into his eyes.
"No!"
"Shippo, can you smell Inuyasha and Kagome anywhere nearby?" Miroku pulled the tiny fox out of his robes and held him up.
Shippo sniffed the air. "I don't smell them. You don't think they're lost, do you?"
"They may be," Miroku said grimly. Though Inuyasha had lived alone, homeless, for most of his life, he had never actually talked about what he had gotten through. The monk wasn't sure whether he would be all right in a blizzard.
"I can try taking Kirara out when the wind dies down," Sango said, squinting out of the crevice. The demon-cat had grown to the size of a tiger, and was almost lying on top of the others. Miroku just hoped his numb feet weren't getting frostbitten.
Shippo crept to the edge of the crevice and looked out into the storm.
*
"What?" Inuyasha sat up, blinking. "You sure you weren't dreamin'?"
"I'm sure." Kagome crawled out of the sleeping bag, shivering. The glow had faded from the clouds outside, but she could see traces of it lingering over the snow. "Now it's almost gone... I can't go out there, not until the wind stops."
But the thought of it nagged at her, long after Inuyasha had convinced her to get back into the sleeping bag. She kept her eyes on the small airhole, watching for another telltale glow.
I gotta find out what that was, she thought, slipping away. I couldn't have just imagined it...
*
Inuyasha lay on his back, listening to the wind howl. Waiting for sunrise was something he'd done since he was a small child, and it never was easy. It always took forever. He had thought up dozens of ways to pass the hours until morning, including frightening squirrels and thinking of ways to get back at his brother. But they didn't help much. He scratched his chest absently.
Beside him, Kagome was shivering in her sleep. Inuyasha shifted to watch her face.
It was eerie how much she looked like Kikyo when she slept.
He rolled over and rested his chin on his fists. Her face was still, empty, distant when she slept.
Kagome had told him once that she and Kikyo shared a soul, but nothing else. If he hadn't known better, Inuyasha would have suspected that they didn't share that much. Kikyo was cool, distant, formal and untouchable. Kagome was more like him -- emotions close to the surface.
Inuyasha brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Her hand was resting by her face. The bandage was still tightly wrapped around her wrist, and a faint pink stain was showing through the gauze.
The sight made Inuyasha grimace. He raised his hand and stared at his claws. Faint streaks of brown. He remembered her face as she dangled over the edge, with his claws digging into her flesh. Kikyo had fallen from his hand as well. The major difference was that she had tried to drag him down with her, calling that she wanted him dead. Kagome had tried to make him let go.
Suddenly a hand was clutching his hair. "Stop watching me," Kagome said, not opening her eyes. "It creeps me out."
"Feh," Inuyasha said, pulling away. "Like I was gonna watch you sleep."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Thinking."
Kagome sighed. "Whatever you say." Her grip on his hair loosened. "Just don't stare at me or I'll slap you again."
Inuyasha turned away and stared at the wall of the cave, ignoring Kagome. Then he looked over his shoulder. She was sleeping again. And shivering.
The half-demon watched her for a time, his eyes glowing faintly in the firelight. She looked cold, even if most of the wind was kept outside the cave. And she had said that body heat was the best way to keep warm in a blizzard. He didn't know if that was so, but it seemed like an okay idea.
He crept closer in the sleeping bag. I'm not doing this because I want to, he thought fiercely. I'm doing it because we don't wanna freeze.
He untucked his kimono and pulled the front of it around Kagome. She stopped shivering as he pulled her closer. "There," he mumbled. "At least we won't freeze while we're asleep. He yawned and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He'd wait out the blizzard, until morning came...
Outside, the blizzard raged on.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Can you see anything?" Miroku shouted into Sango's hair. Most of it had blown into his eyes.
"No!"
"Shippo, can you smell Inuyasha and Kagome anywhere nearby?" Miroku pulled the tiny fox out of his robes and held him up.
Shippo sniffed the air. "I don't smell them. You don't think they're lost, do you?"
"They may be," Miroku said grimly. Though Inuyasha had lived alone, homeless, for most of his life, he had never actually talked about what he had gotten through. The monk wasn't sure whether he would be all right in a blizzard.
"I can try taking Kirara out when the wind dies down," Sango said, squinting out of the crevice. The demon-cat had grown to the size of a tiger, and was almost lying on top of the others. Miroku just hoped his numb feet weren't getting frostbitten.
Shippo crept to the edge of the crevice and looked out into the storm.
*
"What?" Inuyasha sat up, blinking. "You sure you weren't dreamin'?"
"I'm sure." Kagome crawled out of the sleeping bag, shivering. The glow had faded from the clouds outside, but she could see traces of it lingering over the snow. "Now it's almost gone... I can't go out there, not until the wind stops."
But the thought of it nagged at her, long after Inuyasha had convinced her to get back into the sleeping bag. She kept her eyes on the small airhole, watching for another telltale glow.
I gotta find out what that was, she thought, slipping away. I couldn't have just imagined it...
*
Inuyasha lay on his back, listening to the wind howl. Waiting for sunrise was something he'd done since he was a small child, and it never was easy. It always took forever. He had thought up dozens of ways to pass the hours until morning, including frightening squirrels and thinking of ways to get back at his brother. But they didn't help much. He scratched his chest absently.
Beside him, Kagome was shivering in her sleep. Inuyasha shifted to watch her face.
It was eerie how much she looked like Kikyo when she slept.
He rolled over and rested his chin on his fists. Her face was still, empty, distant when she slept.
Kagome had told him once that she and Kikyo shared a soul, but nothing else. If he hadn't known better, Inuyasha would have suspected that they didn't share that much. Kikyo was cool, distant, formal and untouchable. Kagome was more like him -- emotions close to the surface.
Inuyasha brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Her hand was resting by her face. The bandage was still tightly wrapped around her wrist, and a faint pink stain was showing through the gauze.
The sight made Inuyasha grimace. He raised his hand and stared at his claws. Faint streaks of brown. He remembered her face as she dangled over the edge, with his claws digging into her flesh. Kikyo had fallen from his hand as well. The major difference was that she had tried to drag him down with her, calling that she wanted him dead. Kagome had tried to make him let go.
Suddenly a hand was clutching his hair. "Stop watching me," Kagome said, not opening her eyes. "It creeps me out."
"Feh," Inuyasha said, pulling away. "Like I was gonna watch you sleep."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Thinking."
Kagome sighed. "Whatever you say." Her grip on his hair loosened. "Just don't stare at me or I'll slap you again."
Inuyasha turned away and stared at the wall of the cave, ignoring Kagome. Then he looked over his shoulder. She was sleeping again. And shivering.
The half-demon watched her for a time, his eyes glowing faintly in the firelight. She looked cold, even if most of the wind was kept outside the cave. And she had said that body heat was the best way to keep warm in a blizzard. He didn't know if that was so, but it seemed like an okay idea.
He crept closer in the sleeping bag. I'm not doing this because I want to, he thought fiercely. I'm doing it because we don't wanna freeze.
He untucked his kimono and pulled the front of it around Kagome. She stopped shivering as he pulled her closer. "There," he mumbled. "At least we won't freeze while we're asleep. He yawned and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He'd wait out the blizzard, until morning came...
Outside, the blizzard raged on.
TO BE CONTINUED
