CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
*
"Dammit!" Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head. It was still sore, and a bit of blood came away on his fingers. He looked up at the dark expanse above him, and tried to gauge how far it was. I could jump, he thought, but without seeing where I was going, and dizzy too... nah, I'll have to climb. Just hope I don't get woozy up there.
Suddenly the air began to stir. Inuyasha could smell it welling from deep inside the mountain, pouring from somewhere dark and stinking. He grabbed hold of a rock and held it tightly. If that whirlpool started up again, he wouldn't allow himself to be drawn into it.
The wind began to blow harder, whipping his hair over his face. Inuyasha braced himself against the rock. He could hear the winds swirling together over him, but they barely seemed to touch the ground where he was. He looked up, seeing a great gray vortex forming above him, sucking down streams of snow and ice, blowing them around...
Then he heard a faint cry. "Inuyasha..."
He caught his breath. "Kagome... KAGOME!" His voice was swallowed by the winds.
Inuyasha could smell her now, and when he looked he saw a dark form caught in the vortex. Taking a deep breath, he leapt upward into the twister.
It was like the blizzard all over again; Inuyasha was glad that he had been passed out when he fell. The icy wind felt like it was searing off his skin, and no matter how he tried, he could barely open his eyes. And it was a pretty weird feeling to be suspended only by the wind, spinning like a dried leaf.
"Kagome!" he shouted above the roar of the wind.
"Inuyasha..."
Inuyasha forced his watering eyes to open. Kagome was falling through the vortex, thrown by the wind like a broken doll. She was almost unconscious, but awake enough to whisper his name. Inuyasha reached out his hand, straining to touch her. But they were both being tossed around in the vortex, spinning faster and faster, and he couldn't reach her...
"Dammit!" Inuyasha said, frustrated.
Then to his surprise, Kagome's hand flapped up toward his, but it could have just been lifted by the wind. He caught her wrist and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She was limp and freezing, but still alive.
The half-demon gritted his teeth. He could barely see or hear, but he could smell the wet rocks coming closer to him. With a burst of furious effort, he threw himself against the rocks and propelled himself through the center of the storm. Inuyasha kept one arm around the insensate Kagome, grabbed the opposite wall, and bounced down through the whirlwind.
His vision blurred as the maelstrom started to clear, and the floor of this damned cave spun toward him. He looked down at Kagome for a second. I can't let her fall, he thought, then flipped himself face-up, with her falling above him, their hands still tightly linked.
Inuyasha slammed into the ground -- and Kagome fell on top of him.
The impact knocked the breath out of Inuyasha, and for a moment he was sure that his ribs had been broken. But after a few painful breaths, he was able to relax slightly. Though his eyes were still blurred, he could hear the winds abating above him.
Kagome groaned and raised her head. "Inu... yasha..." she whispered. "What happened? Did I hurt you?"
"'S no big deal," Inuyasha grunted. "Mind gettin' off of me?"
Kagome scrambled off, and watched as Inuyasha gingerly sat up. Then she touched the back of his head. "Your head's bleeding. Inuyasha, are you okay? When I found some of your blood and hair on a rock, I was... worried about you." She pressed her hand his shoulder.
Inuyasha bowed his head over his knees. "Thanks, Kagome..." he said quietly. "Let's find a way out of this hellhole."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Dammit!" Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head. It was still sore, and a bit of blood came away on his fingers. He looked up at the dark expanse above him, and tried to gauge how far it was. I could jump, he thought, but without seeing where I was going, and dizzy too... nah, I'll have to climb. Just hope I don't get woozy up there.
Suddenly the air began to stir. Inuyasha could smell it welling from deep inside the mountain, pouring from somewhere dark and stinking. He grabbed hold of a rock and held it tightly. If that whirlpool started up again, he wouldn't allow himself to be drawn into it.
The wind began to blow harder, whipping his hair over his face. Inuyasha braced himself against the rock. He could hear the winds swirling together over him, but they barely seemed to touch the ground where he was. He looked up, seeing a great gray vortex forming above him, sucking down streams of snow and ice, blowing them around...
Then he heard a faint cry. "Inuyasha..."
He caught his breath. "Kagome... KAGOME!" His voice was swallowed by the winds.
Inuyasha could smell her now, and when he looked he saw a dark form caught in the vortex. Taking a deep breath, he leapt upward into the twister.
It was like the blizzard all over again; Inuyasha was glad that he had been passed out when he fell. The icy wind felt like it was searing off his skin, and no matter how he tried, he could barely open his eyes. And it was a pretty weird feeling to be suspended only by the wind, spinning like a dried leaf.
"Kagome!" he shouted above the roar of the wind.
"Inuyasha..."
Inuyasha forced his watering eyes to open. Kagome was falling through the vortex, thrown by the wind like a broken doll. She was almost unconscious, but awake enough to whisper his name. Inuyasha reached out his hand, straining to touch her. But they were both being tossed around in the vortex, spinning faster and faster, and he couldn't reach her...
"Dammit!" Inuyasha said, frustrated.
Then to his surprise, Kagome's hand flapped up toward his, but it could have just been lifted by the wind. He caught her wrist and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She was limp and freezing, but still alive.
The half-demon gritted his teeth. He could barely see or hear, but he could smell the wet rocks coming closer to him. With a burst of furious effort, he threw himself against the rocks and propelled himself through the center of the storm. Inuyasha kept one arm around the insensate Kagome, grabbed the opposite wall, and bounced down through the whirlwind.
His vision blurred as the maelstrom started to clear, and the floor of this damned cave spun toward him. He looked down at Kagome for a second. I can't let her fall, he thought, then flipped himself face-up, with her falling above him, their hands still tightly linked.
Inuyasha slammed into the ground -- and Kagome fell on top of him.
The impact knocked the breath out of Inuyasha, and for a moment he was sure that his ribs had been broken. But after a few painful breaths, he was able to relax slightly. Though his eyes were still blurred, he could hear the winds abating above him.
Kagome groaned and raised her head. "Inu... yasha..." she whispered. "What happened? Did I hurt you?"
"'S no big deal," Inuyasha grunted. "Mind gettin' off of me?"
Kagome scrambled off, and watched as Inuyasha gingerly sat up. Then she touched the back of his head. "Your head's bleeding. Inuyasha, are you okay? When I found some of your blood and hair on a rock, I was... worried about you." She pressed her hand his shoulder.
Inuyasha bowed his head over his knees. "Thanks, Kagome..." he said quietly. "Let's find a way out of this hellhole."
TO BE CONTINUED
