Band-Aids

by Cooking Spray

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Chapter Four:

Symptoms

Coarse rifts of winds overtook the frosted, barren plains, a constant biting nuisance on one's cheeks. The wolf-child called Kouga turned a blind eye to these natural inconveniences as he soldiered on through the rifts of snow, heedless of the naggings and moaning of his two companions. The scent of Naraku was strong, and physical discomfort was no obstacle. He must find him and gain his revenge at last, and this might prove to be the only chance he'd receive.

"Augh. . . Kouga, can't we at least stop for rest? It's so cold, and we've been traveling all night. . ." The protestor's words were meek and almost inaudible, fading completely by the end. He was immediately sorry he'd asked as Kouga turned sharply and glared a handful of sharp, polished daggers.

"Stop? When we're closer to Naraku's trail than we have ever been?" He halted completely, fatigue further fueling his rage. "Did you not see it with your own eyes? Our village was destroyed; our people murdered. Crushed by the evil hand of that bastard!" Kouga leaned until he and the unlucky accomplice's noses almost touched. The man quivered in fear, submissive. "Are you going to let him slip through your fists?"

"N-no. . . of course not. . ." All of the man's thoughts of rest were overpowered by a fear for his life. If he were to further incite Kouga's wrath, he would be left in the middle of the tundra to meet a cold death. Despite his desperate need for slumber, he submitted.

"Then stop making idiotic suggestions and keep in line." He turned and gave his victim a rude shove, knocking him breathless but relieved into the snow.

"Let's move it." He trudged on further into the infinite white sea, leaving the third party to glance fleetingly at the results of his master's rage writhing and gasping on the ground below before following.

With each step thereafter, Kouga's gaze narrowed with building hatred as the aura of his nemesis strengthened. Whether from the impending battle he would emerge alive or no, he would get his revenge. Of this much he knew.

~*~*~*~*~

It was blue, aquamarine all around. And wet. Very wet. She flailed her arms; thousands of tiny bubbles appeared at the disturbing action. Shafts of light from the world above shone in mystic rings, and suddenly she was aware of them getting smaller, and of the world surrounding her becoming bluer. . . A strike of fear rippled through her. She struggled wildly, fought to climb for air. But it was futile, and soon her movements became less and less. And then, there was nothing. . .

Kagome's eyes flounced open, dilated from the nightmarish exploits of her slumber, and she gasped in the breath that her subconscious could not. She calculated the roof of thatch above her, the cotton cushioning of her sleeping bag, and the gathering of ashes from the previous night's fire, checking them for validity, as a bad dream often causes one to do. After ensuring that she was safely awake in the real world, she let out the breath and relaxed into the soft folds of her sleeping bag. What a strange dream. . .

The sound of the tarp shifting that had been placed over the opening of the hut to shield the cold further roused her. Miroku's figure came into view, grinning in his happy-go-lucky manner.

"Ah, you're awake! Good morning, Kagome-sama!"

"'Morning, Miroku. . ." She pulled herself erect with some effort, sliding out of the warm comfort of the sleeping bag and kneeling to roll it up. Rubbing her eyes in a groggy morning gesture, she yawned.

"You'd better hurry. Inuyasha's getting impatient. The sun rose two hours ago."

Kagome snorted. "Well, let him be impatient. I'm doing things on my own time. Trust me, you wouldn't want to see the results of me on a bad night's sleep."

The priest laughed in affirmation. "'Hell hath no fury than a woman without her bed rest.' Sometimes I wonder if it's really Naraku we're fighting."

Miroku's mention of bed rest again brought to her attention the dream. Kagome paused, her fingers loosening the vice that they had on the sleeping bag's restraining straps and allowing them to slowly unfurl. Her brow was knitted in contemplation, the pulse of her body flailing under water flowing through her mind in remembrance.

"Miroku. . ."

The priest stopped laughing, the smile settling back into place as he regarded her. "Hm? What is it, Kagome-sama?"

"I had a strange dream last night. . ." As she turned to face him, his expression turned serious. This was obviously a grave matter. He waited for her to fit together the words to continue. "I was. . . I was underwater. I could see the surface above me, see the light shining down. I was smiling, looking at it. . . and then I realized I couldn't breathe. I began to flail my arms and try to swim upwards, but I kept sinking further down to the bottom. And then, when I became exhausted, about to give up and drown. . . I hit the bottom, and then I woke up."

There was a rare berth of silence as the monk seemed to process what Kagome had told him. The dream's weaver herself also noticed she was a little tense, but shook it off. It was probably nothing, just the result of an overactive imagination. Still, it disconcerted her. . .

Finally there was an answer. "Your dream sounds odd, Kagome-sama. As you are well aware, since you possess the shards of the Shikon no Tama, you are constantly in threat of attack by the greedy demons who seek their power. And there are those who find their way into your sleep. . . I don't know exactly what it means, but you should be cautious. Whether it is an omen of some sort, I can't tell, but don't let the shards get out of your sight."

Kagome managed a nod, her thoughts beginning to ebb and pool within her head. She began to re-roll the sleeping bag, her hands more dexterous as the tides of her mind raged. Greedy demons who seek their power. . . don't let the shards get out of your sight. . . an omen. . .

Miroku's cheer returned, almost as quickly as if nothing were ever amiss. "Well, I'll leave you to prepare now. I'm going to go try to restrain Inuyasha for you. Ja ne!" He lifted the tarp and began to traipse over to the campfire, his footsteps crunching in the snow becoming fainter and fainter.

"Ja ne!" Kagome managed. She stood, carrying the bundle over to her pack and stuffing it inside with the rest of the cramped provisions. Miroku's words had left an impact she hadn't foretold. She shivered involuntarily. Somehow, the day seemed darker.

She banished the feeling, trying to be optimistic. Even though there was surely more onslaught ahead, she had to keep her spirits high to pull through this. Nightmares or no, she had to keep looking forward.

With newly-instilled confidence, she hoisted her pack upon her shoulders and lifted the tarp one final time, her breath making a cloud in the bitter cold air. Whatever awaited, she was prepared to face it.

Or so she lead herself to believe.

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The sun peaked overhead and the snow responded by becoming a blinding expanse of gleaming white, causing many pairs of squinted eyes. The wind had calmed, for the most part, and although Kagome's legs still ached with cold, it was bearable. Inuyasha was in another of his infamous sour moods, his expression surly and nature unsocial. This was largely caused by Kagome's leisurely sleep, which caused them to lose valuable time in pursuing Naraku.

Well, he could just be angry if he wanted to. It was his fault that she was tired, anyhow. Honestly, the things a person had to do to please around here!

A timid voice broke the nervous silence at long last. "Anou. . . Inuyasha, where are we heading?" questioned Sango tentatively.

There was a pause of about ten seconds before the answer was received. "Toward the ocean. His presence is strongest somewhere along the shore." The hanyou grunted. "Of course, knowing Naraku, we'll probably encounter several of his minions along the way. We've lost too much time already, though, so the best thing we can do is plow on ahead and take the route that bypasses the forest. There won't be much opportunity for assault on an open landscape."

Sango made a small noise of assent. "His aura's growing more powerful, and his minions stronger and more frequent. We'd better be careful." Kirara mewled at her side to show that she shared her owner's sentiments.

The conversation lapsed into silence again as everyone contemplated what had been said. Kagome absently rumpled Shippo's hair, who had returned to his favorite sentry coiled around her neck after the snow had become too cold. Indeed, Naraku's aura was becoming forebodingly powerful. The thought of an impending battle with that enormous power made her shiver. Previous failures entered her mind, one after another, and her fingers clenched the strap of her backpack fiercely. Tetsusaiga was still difficult for Inuyasha to wield, and for all of his strength, Naraku's power still superceded his by far. . .

Something caught Kagome's eye, causing her head to snap upward to the horizon. She was instantly blinded by an assaulting wall of ice crystals refracting the noon day sun, forcing her to squint her eyes shut at the explosion of colors that had burst forth. When her eyes finally recovered, and she was able to look up again (with more caution than before for her vision, assuredly), she could discern a figure, distant and no more than a black dot flanked by two others. They were approaching with amazing speed, causing Kagome to gasp. The jar that contained the jewel shards pulsed faintly at her hip. Whatever it was, it carried a piece of the Shikon no Tama within it.

Her breath became shut into her chest and her body rigid with concentration. She stopped, eyes riveted to the enclosing silhouettes. The shards continued to react with their sisters on the hilltop, surging with power and awareness as they jiggled in their container. Somehow, though, this aura felt strangely familiar. . .

Shippo noticed her tense state with concern. "Kagome-chan, what is it?" He followed her gaze to the hilltop, not immediately making anything out due to the brightness. Then, the kitsune's eyes locked on her focus, gasping. "Someone's heading toward us! Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

Everyone's attention was captured and their defenses triggered. Inuyasha vaulted to Kagome's side in an instant, his hand firm on Tetsusaiga's hilt. A deep, warning growl rumbled in Kirara's throat as she centered her eyes on the three figures, her fur and tail standing on end. Obviously, there was something to be wary of.

Inuyasha sniffed the air for a few seconds before making a decision about the enemy they faced. With uncalcuably fast speed and quite without warning, he drew the Tetsusaiga, its blade reflecting the alabaster hills all around them. "It carries not one Shikon shard with it, but several. It's really too far away to tell anything else just yet."

Kagome nodded, every muscle taut as she continued to feel the shards resonate. Her face looked back at her from Tetsusaiga's well-polished blade, distraught and tight-lipped, brow deeply furrowed. "Their aura seems somewhat. . . familiar. . . however, I can't place from where. . ."

Sango's hand felt for her boomerang, but Miroku caught it halfway. "Houshi-sama. . ." She looked up to him for an explanation, annoyance beginning to stir in her eyes. The monk just placed a finger to his lips, which would have made Sango even more angry, had he not added the words, "Look," and gestured to the valley below.

All of her tempest was extinguished as her eyes found what he was indicating. The figures had mounted the crest of the hill and were now streaming into the valley beyond at an alarmingly fast pace. Did they intend to climb directly up the rocky ledge to the summit? It was incredibly foolish, but it seemed as if that were the case. Also, as their visitors drew nearer, something else was bothering her. She squinted against the glare, straining her eyes to see further. That central figure. . . he looked familiar. . . almost like. . .

"Kouga!" Kagome beat her to the punch line, her exclamation punctuated with shock.

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Okay, everyone, first of all, I'm very, very sorry that I haven't been able to update over the past couple of months. Christmas kept me rather busy this year, as did Thanksgiving, and there was a lot of family stuff going on as well. Not to mention that we were remodeling my house, and I had to work out of the living room for a period of time. Which, as you could probably imagine, wasn't exactly the best place to write. Thankfully, I'm in my new room now again. Please forgive me!

Secondly, this chapter is a little shorter than it was intended to be, so the preview that you all read last time may have been a bit misleading. I just desperately needed to make an update, and this seemed like a good place to cut it short. I hope everyone has enjoyed it, and that it wasn't too terribly disappointing. ^_^ There'll be a longer chapter next time.

Leave a review, now!