CHAPTER ELEVEN
*
The first thing that Miroku felt when he woke was Sango cradled in his arms, fast asleep. The second was Kirara, in her larger form, draped over both of them like a weighted fur rug.
He winced, prodding the demon-cat with his elbow. They had decided that the best way to deal with the cold -- after Sango vetoed Miroku's suggestions -- was that they stay close to Kirara. She was warmer and hardier, Sango pointed out, and had fur as well.
"Kirara," Miroku grunted, trying to wriggle out. "Get small, would you?"
She stared at him for a moment, then vanished in a whirl of flame. Then there was only a tiny cat sitting on his knee.
Sango groaned and clutched at her head. "Ughhh... what happened?" she said.
"It's morning." Miroku peered out of the crevasse. "And the blizzard seems to be gone."
Shippo tumbled out of Miroku's robes, cross-eyed and with his tail frizzed out. "That was awful," he said, slapping his forehead. "Are Kagome and Inuyasha back yet?" He brushed snow from his clothes and red topknot, then bounced onto Miroku's shoulder.
Miroku groaned and rolled his head from side to side. He could feel something cracking in his neck. "No, they haven't." He stood up slowly, wincing as more snow seeped into his sandals. "Sango, are you all right? Or should we rest a little longer?"
"I'm fine," Sango said, leaning on her boomerang as she got up. Miroku put his arm tightly around her as they set out across the wide stretch of snow, with Shippo and the mewing Kirara on their shoulders.
"Ow, it's bright," Shippo said, flinching. The snow below them sparkled and shone where the sunbeams struck it, filtered through the clouds.
Miroku looked at the sky. "It's fortunate that the sun is clouded over. If it weren't, we might well have been blinded by now." His face grew grave as he looked down over the mountainside. It was covered in heavy drifts of snow, and jagged rocks poked through it like teeth.
I hope they're all right, Miroku thought.
"Wait a minute," Shippo said. He hopped off the monk's shoulder. "I forgot something in the cave. I'll be right back."
"Don't take too long," Miroku said.
Kirara ran after the little fox-demon, mewing loudly. But that made Miroku feel only slightly better. The feeling of wrongness and unnaturality hung heavily in the air, and it made Miroku wonder again what had happened to Kagome and Inuyasha...
*
"I can't see a thing." Kagome clutched at Inuyasha's shoulder. He put his arm tightly around her waist and half-dragged her along the winding tunnel. "Who made this thing anyway?"
"I dunno," Inuyasha mumbled. "But I can't smell anything. It's all frozen, so it all smells like snow." A flash of light caught his golden eyes. "How cold are you?"
"Not too much," Kagome lied. Actually, the cold wasn't what was bothering her. It was the dark, and the knowledge that something could be creeping around anywhere nearby. And the weird, sick feeling she got when they came into this cave in the first place.
The tunnel wound deeper and deeper into the mountain; the air smelled musty and dead. Kagome kept stumbling on holes and jagged bits of rock. Inuyasha sniped once or twice about her clumsiness, but mostly he held her tightly, guiding her through the dark. Kagome kept close, privately thankful that he could see so well. Her stomach was doing the rumba, and it was making her dizzy...
Suddenly a flash of light almost blinded her. Kagome covered her eyes until they adjusted enough for her to see. It was a little rounded, nestlike cave, with a large crack in the wall to let in a shaft of sunlight. Some snow had blown in a pile over the rocks.
"We better stop here," Inuyasha said gruffly, releasing her. "See if there's any firewood here. I'll scout around to see if there's an easy way out. Just in case."
He raced almost silently into one of the side-tunnels.
Shivering, Kagome knelt down and began digging through the snow. "Bingo!" she murmured as her hand closed on something round and hard.
But when she pulled it out of the snow, she saw something at the end of the log. It was a hand.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The first thing that Miroku felt when he woke was Sango cradled in his arms, fast asleep. The second was Kirara, in her larger form, draped over both of them like a weighted fur rug.
He winced, prodding the demon-cat with his elbow. They had decided that the best way to deal with the cold -- after Sango vetoed Miroku's suggestions -- was that they stay close to Kirara. She was warmer and hardier, Sango pointed out, and had fur as well.
"Kirara," Miroku grunted, trying to wriggle out. "Get small, would you?"
She stared at him for a moment, then vanished in a whirl of flame. Then there was only a tiny cat sitting on his knee.
Sango groaned and clutched at her head. "Ughhh... what happened?" she said.
"It's morning." Miroku peered out of the crevasse. "And the blizzard seems to be gone."
Shippo tumbled out of Miroku's robes, cross-eyed and with his tail frizzed out. "That was awful," he said, slapping his forehead. "Are Kagome and Inuyasha back yet?" He brushed snow from his clothes and red topknot, then bounced onto Miroku's shoulder.
Miroku groaned and rolled his head from side to side. He could feel something cracking in his neck. "No, they haven't." He stood up slowly, wincing as more snow seeped into his sandals. "Sango, are you all right? Or should we rest a little longer?"
"I'm fine," Sango said, leaning on her boomerang as she got up. Miroku put his arm tightly around her as they set out across the wide stretch of snow, with Shippo and the mewing Kirara on their shoulders.
"Ow, it's bright," Shippo said, flinching. The snow below them sparkled and shone where the sunbeams struck it, filtered through the clouds.
Miroku looked at the sky. "It's fortunate that the sun is clouded over. If it weren't, we might well have been blinded by now." His face grew grave as he looked down over the mountainside. It was covered in heavy drifts of snow, and jagged rocks poked through it like teeth.
I hope they're all right, Miroku thought.
"Wait a minute," Shippo said. He hopped off the monk's shoulder. "I forgot something in the cave. I'll be right back."
"Don't take too long," Miroku said.
Kirara ran after the little fox-demon, mewing loudly. But that made Miroku feel only slightly better. The feeling of wrongness and unnaturality hung heavily in the air, and it made Miroku wonder again what had happened to Kagome and Inuyasha...
*
"I can't see a thing." Kagome clutched at Inuyasha's shoulder. He put his arm tightly around her waist and half-dragged her along the winding tunnel. "Who made this thing anyway?"
"I dunno," Inuyasha mumbled. "But I can't smell anything. It's all frozen, so it all smells like snow." A flash of light caught his golden eyes. "How cold are you?"
"Not too much," Kagome lied. Actually, the cold wasn't what was bothering her. It was the dark, and the knowledge that something could be creeping around anywhere nearby. And the weird, sick feeling she got when they came into this cave in the first place.
The tunnel wound deeper and deeper into the mountain; the air smelled musty and dead. Kagome kept stumbling on holes and jagged bits of rock. Inuyasha sniped once or twice about her clumsiness, but mostly he held her tightly, guiding her through the dark. Kagome kept close, privately thankful that he could see so well. Her stomach was doing the rumba, and it was making her dizzy...
Suddenly a flash of light almost blinded her. Kagome covered her eyes until they adjusted enough for her to see. It was a little rounded, nestlike cave, with a large crack in the wall to let in a shaft of sunlight. Some snow had blown in a pile over the rocks.
"We better stop here," Inuyasha said gruffly, releasing her. "See if there's any firewood here. I'll scout around to see if there's an easy way out. Just in case."
He raced almost silently into one of the side-tunnels.
Shivering, Kagome knelt down and began digging through the snow. "Bingo!" she murmured as her hand closed on something round and hard.
But when she pulled it out of the snow, she saw something at the end of the log. It was a hand.
TO BE CONTINUED
