CHAPTER TWELVE
*
The cold air stung Inuyasha's eyes and nose. He wiped them irritably on his sleeve as he slipped into one of the icy passages. He had never had so much trouble in the cold before -- even when he was little. Maybe it was because of the wind, he thought. It cut through his clothes like a knife. Good thing Kagome isn't wearing that little skirt, he thought.
He paused, listening. Wind was blowing somewhere nearby. We can't be that far from the surface, he thought. They would need to go deeper. Whatever this thing was, he was willing to bet it nested far down in the mountain. His claws cracked in anticipation.
Suddenly he stiffened. Someone had screamed -- Kagome!
"KAGOME!" he shouted, turning and racing through the darkness. A cold blast of air
Stupid, stupid, stupid! he berated himself. I shouldn't have left her alone!
A blast of cold light made him flinch. Kagome was sitting where he had left her, huddled over and hugging herself. She was making odd whimpering noises, like a lost pup.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping beside her. "What happened? Are you all right?" He grabbed the Tetsusaiga and started to draw it.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome threw herself against his chest and hugged him. "The... the... I found a HAND in that snowdrift."
Inuyasha blinked. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or embarrassed.... or both. "Feh," he snorted. "Is that all?" He crept over to the snowdrift, and grimaced. A frozen human arm was sticking out of it. Ignoring Kagome's distressed noises, he swept more snow out of the way and peered inside. He could see half of a stark white face, and a brown eye staring at him.
"What is it?" Kagome asked, creeping over.
"Some poor bastard who froze over in here," Inuyasha growled. He dug away more snow. "Must have been a merchant or something, who got caught in the blizzard and wandered in here for shelter."
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked.
"Gotta see if he had any supplies on him." Inuyasha paused. "Then maybe we can give him a decent burial outside the mountain."
Kagome reluctantly helped him dig the man out. It made her cringe to think that she had grabbed a frozen corpse, but Inuyasha was right -- the man should get a burial. Even if it was only snow.
Suddenly Inuyasha stopped. "Don't touch him, Kagome."
"What? Why?"
"Look there." Inuyasha pointed at the man's half-buried chest. Kagome's eyes widened.
Through it was a narrow hole filled with snow, about as thick as three of Kagome's fingers, and perfectly round. "A windhole," Kagome whispered. "Someone blasted through his heart?"
"That's not all." Inuyasha brushed away more snow from the man's neck. There was a weird pink stain around his head, and soon Kagome saw why. An icicle had pierced through his throat, and into the rock under him.
"An icicle?" Kagome said breathlessly. "What a horrible way to die..."
"And if that ice can pierce the rock underneath, it means this was no accident," Inuyasha growled. "Only a demon could do that. And a pretty dangerous one too -- maybe because of a jewel shard, if it's the one that you saw before." He stood up and brushed the snow off his clothes. "We'll have to deal with this guy later, Kagome. First we need to find the demon and get his shard."
When Kagome stayed staring at the frozen man, Inuyasha tugged at her arm. "Come on, up and at 'em. No way am I leavin' you alone in a place like this."
"Are you worried about me?"
"Worried? Feh!" Inuyasha put his arm around her shoulders as he led her away.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The cold air stung Inuyasha's eyes and nose. He wiped them irritably on his sleeve as he slipped into one of the icy passages. He had never had so much trouble in the cold before -- even when he was little. Maybe it was because of the wind, he thought. It cut through his clothes like a knife. Good thing Kagome isn't wearing that little skirt, he thought.
He paused, listening. Wind was blowing somewhere nearby. We can't be that far from the surface, he thought. They would need to go deeper. Whatever this thing was, he was willing to bet it nested far down in the mountain. His claws cracked in anticipation.
Suddenly he stiffened. Someone had screamed -- Kagome!
"KAGOME!" he shouted, turning and racing through the darkness. A cold blast of air
Stupid, stupid, stupid! he berated himself. I shouldn't have left her alone!
A blast of cold light made him flinch. Kagome was sitting where he had left her, huddled over and hugging herself. She was making odd whimpering noises, like a lost pup.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping beside her. "What happened? Are you all right?" He grabbed the Tetsusaiga and started to draw it.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome threw herself against his chest and hugged him. "The... the... I found a HAND in that snowdrift."
Inuyasha blinked. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or embarrassed.... or both. "Feh," he snorted. "Is that all?" He crept over to the snowdrift, and grimaced. A frozen human arm was sticking out of it. Ignoring Kagome's distressed noises, he swept more snow out of the way and peered inside. He could see half of a stark white face, and a brown eye staring at him.
"What is it?" Kagome asked, creeping over.
"Some poor bastard who froze over in here," Inuyasha growled. He dug away more snow. "Must have been a merchant or something, who got caught in the blizzard and wandered in here for shelter."
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked.
"Gotta see if he had any supplies on him." Inuyasha paused. "Then maybe we can give him a decent burial outside the mountain."
Kagome reluctantly helped him dig the man out. It made her cringe to think that she had grabbed a frozen corpse, but Inuyasha was right -- the man should get a burial. Even if it was only snow.
Suddenly Inuyasha stopped. "Don't touch him, Kagome."
"What? Why?"
"Look there." Inuyasha pointed at the man's half-buried chest. Kagome's eyes widened.
Through it was a narrow hole filled with snow, about as thick as three of Kagome's fingers, and perfectly round. "A windhole," Kagome whispered. "Someone blasted through his heart?"
"That's not all." Inuyasha brushed away more snow from the man's neck. There was a weird pink stain around his head, and soon Kagome saw why. An icicle had pierced through his throat, and into the rock under him.
"An icicle?" Kagome said breathlessly. "What a horrible way to die..."
"And if that ice can pierce the rock underneath, it means this was no accident," Inuyasha growled. "Only a demon could do that. And a pretty dangerous one too -- maybe because of a jewel shard, if it's the one that you saw before." He stood up and brushed the snow off his clothes. "We'll have to deal with this guy later, Kagome. First we need to find the demon and get his shard."
When Kagome stayed staring at the frozen man, Inuyasha tugged at her arm. "Come on, up and at 'em. No way am I leavin' you alone in a place like this."
"Are you worried about me?"
"Worried? Feh!" Inuyasha put his arm around her shoulders as he led her away.
TO BE CONTINUED
