CHAPTER NINETEEN
*
"We're lost, aren't we?"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth, as if the very word "lost" was bugging him. "No, we're not," he said tightly. "To be lost, you have to have the slightest idea of where you are to start with. We don't know where we're going so-"
"I don't follow that logic," Kagome said. She glanced around the darkened, dripping passage, wishing that she could see clearly. And though it bugged her to think she was hanging off Inuyasha's arm, that was what she was doing. At least he doesn't seem to mind that I'm... well, kind of clinging to him, she thought.
Suddenly Inuyasha turned and put an arm in front of her. "Don't move," he whispered. "I can hear something up ahead." His ears twitched, and a strange look came over his face. He growled softly.
"Is it the demon?" Kagome said. "I don't know. It sounds like... this is gonna sound stupid, but it sounds like the wind blowing."
"But we're really deep in the mountain, right?" Kagome whispered. "How can the wind be blowing down here?"
"'Zactly my thoughts," Inuyasha said grimly, drawing the Tetsusaiga. The blade lengthened and curved, turning from a nicked steel blade into a glowing fang. "Stay close to me, Kagome."
"Okay," Kagome said, moving behind him and trying to follow his footsteps.
The air was getting colder. Kagome could feel her skin stinging as a faint wind blew out from the tunnel ahead. Inuyasha glared into the darkness, holding the Tetsusaiga in front of him. "You have your bow, Kagome?"
"I... no. I think Sango has it."
"Too bad," Inuyasha said grimly. "But I can take on the abominable snowman, just you watch. When the fighting starts, stay out of the way. Just hide in a crack or something."
"Sure, fine," Kagome said, slightly annoyed. It's not like I'm THAT helpless, she thought.
Her fingers dug into his arm as he stepped into the cave, a high domed chamber ringed with stalagmites and stalactites, as thick as tree trunks and frosted over. Kagome could smell the clean, searing smell of a snowstorm, and the wind was whipping her long hair over her eyes. She brushed it away absently. "I don't like this," she mumbled. "Something about this cave feels wrong."
Inuyasha sniffed the cold air. "Dammit. Nothing."
"What exactly are you hoping to smell?" Kagome rubbed her numb hands together and blew on them.
"Miroku. Sango. Shippo. The demon. Anything!" Inuyasha said tersely. "You're the only other thing I can smell here, except myself."
"Maybe going deeper into the mountain is a bad idea. I mean, our friends should be here as backup, shouldn't they?"
"We don't even know that they're still here," Inuyasha said. He sounded strangely sad and quiet. "We haven't seen 'em since the blizzard, remember? So we gotta do this on our own, or not at all!"
Kagome felt mildly defeated, not to mention depressed at the idea that Sango, Miroku and Shippo might be lost to them, even for a little while. She bent over her hands to warm them, but a glimmer of light caught her eye. She looked up, and gasped. "Inuyasha, look-"
Inuyasha leaped over to Kagome and stood in front of her. "I see it," he said grimly.
Something was forming on the far wall of the cave. Bits of frost and ice were flickering like fireflies as they floated from the cave walls, swirled into a cloud. An unearthly glow, cold and bright as the sunlight on snow, began to shine from the middle of the cloud; a pair of blue eyes appeared high above them, flashing like a pair of strobe lights. And a Shikon jewel shard glimmered in the middle.
"Who dares to enter?" the demon howled like the wind.
Kagome gripped Inuyasha's sleeve. "I see the shard. It's... it's... it doesn't have a body, so I can't describe where it is. But it's definitely there."
Inuyasha smiled fiercely. "Looks like we've hit paydirt," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"We're lost, aren't we?"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth, as if the very word "lost" was bugging him. "No, we're not," he said tightly. "To be lost, you have to have the slightest idea of where you are to start with. We don't know where we're going so-"
"I don't follow that logic," Kagome said. She glanced around the darkened, dripping passage, wishing that she could see clearly. And though it bugged her to think she was hanging off Inuyasha's arm, that was what she was doing. At least he doesn't seem to mind that I'm... well, kind of clinging to him, she thought.
Suddenly Inuyasha turned and put an arm in front of her. "Don't move," he whispered. "I can hear something up ahead." His ears twitched, and a strange look came over his face. He growled softly.
"Is it the demon?" Kagome said. "I don't know. It sounds like... this is gonna sound stupid, but it sounds like the wind blowing."
"But we're really deep in the mountain, right?" Kagome whispered. "How can the wind be blowing down here?"
"'Zactly my thoughts," Inuyasha said grimly, drawing the Tetsusaiga. The blade lengthened and curved, turning from a nicked steel blade into a glowing fang. "Stay close to me, Kagome."
"Okay," Kagome said, moving behind him and trying to follow his footsteps.
The air was getting colder. Kagome could feel her skin stinging as a faint wind blew out from the tunnel ahead. Inuyasha glared into the darkness, holding the Tetsusaiga in front of him. "You have your bow, Kagome?"
"I... no. I think Sango has it."
"Too bad," Inuyasha said grimly. "But I can take on the abominable snowman, just you watch. When the fighting starts, stay out of the way. Just hide in a crack or something."
"Sure, fine," Kagome said, slightly annoyed. It's not like I'm THAT helpless, she thought.
Her fingers dug into his arm as he stepped into the cave, a high domed chamber ringed with stalagmites and stalactites, as thick as tree trunks and frosted over. Kagome could smell the clean, searing smell of a snowstorm, and the wind was whipping her long hair over her eyes. She brushed it away absently. "I don't like this," she mumbled. "Something about this cave feels wrong."
Inuyasha sniffed the cold air. "Dammit. Nothing."
"What exactly are you hoping to smell?" Kagome rubbed her numb hands together and blew on them.
"Miroku. Sango. Shippo. The demon. Anything!" Inuyasha said tersely. "You're the only other thing I can smell here, except myself."
"Maybe going deeper into the mountain is a bad idea. I mean, our friends should be here as backup, shouldn't they?"
"We don't even know that they're still here," Inuyasha said. He sounded strangely sad and quiet. "We haven't seen 'em since the blizzard, remember? So we gotta do this on our own, or not at all!"
Kagome felt mildly defeated, not to mention depressed at the idea that Sango, Miroku and Shippo might be lost to them, even for a little while. She bent over her hands to warm them, but a glimmer of light caught her eye. She looked up, and gasped. "Inuyasha, look-"
Inuyasha leaped over to Kagome and stood in front of her. "I see it," he said grimly.
Something was forming on the far wall of the cave. Bits of frost and ice were flickering like fireflies as they floated from the cave walls, swirled into a cloud. An unearthly glow, cold and bright as the sunlight on snow, began to shine from the middle of the cloud; a pair of blue eyes appeared high above them, flashing like a pair of strobe lights. And a Shikon jewel shard glimmered in the middle.
"Who dares to enter?" the demon howled like the wind.
Kagome gripped Inuyasha's sleeve. "I see the shard. It's... it's... it doesn't have a body, so I can't describe where it is. But it's definitely there."
Inuyasha smiled fiercely. "Looks like we've hit paydirt," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED
