Dance With Me
Chapter 7
Clouds hovered in the night sky, announcing the inevitable snow that would soon plague the land. The stars that would have provided a little light were hidden by the veil of grey clouds that hung in the air. Unluckily for Kagome, the entire area around the well was plunged into darkness. She could hardly see her pale hands in front of her.
Kagome held onto the inner-bricks of the well, her delicate fingers grasping the crumbling stone and splintering wood. The girl grunted as she tried to pull herself over the edge of the well; but the heavy bag on her back resisted. Kagome was starting to slip when she felt strong hands grasp her shoulders. They pulled her out of the well and onto the wet grass. She almost fell over once the hands released her. She stared into the dark, squinting.
Two lavender eyes stared back. "Kagome?" came a familiar voice.
"Inuyasha…?" An alarm went off in Kagome's head. Of course! It was the night of the new moon! He had reverted to his human form! "Inuyasha!" the girl cried, "What are you doing out here?"
"Feh, I could ask you the same thing…" he replied. Kagome could see the faint outline of his black hair swishing in the dark as he began to walk away.
"Wait!" she called, "I can't see a thing!" She stretched her arms out as she searched for Inuyasha. Where was he?
"Neither can I, baka," he said, his crisp voice coming from her left. The schoolgirl turned and wandered in his direction. "You need to try and use your other senses," he muttered, grabbing her arm and leading her through the dark.
Kagome blushed, and silently thanked the night for its shroud of darkness. She huddled next to Inuyasha as they walked through the dark forest.
"Where are Miroku and Sango?" she asked, breaking the silence. She hadn't seen them for a while…
"Miroku's probably at Kaede's hut," Inuyasha replied simply, his voice seeming to come from nowhere. "Not sure about Sango, though."
"What do you mean 'not sure'?" Kagome inquired, staring at what she assumed was Inuyasha.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Not. Sure," he murmured sarcastically, "She left with Kirara, yesterday, and hasn't been back yet. I think she went to fix Hiraikotsu…" his voice trailed off.
"Did she seem angry?" Kagome pressed further.
"No," Inuyasha said in an agitated tone, "In fact, she didn't say anything. Just left."
Then that means she was upset about something, Kagome thought silently. Really, Inuyasha was so dense sometimes.
---
Inuyasha stared ahead; he could see the faint glow of the village lights as they approached the edge of the forest. A delicate scent of roasted salmon hung in the air. Inuyasha inhaled deeply, and frowned. If he wasn't a human for the night, he would be able to take in the whole of the wonderful smell. But, no, his human nose was too weak for that. Damn… he thought grimly, curling his free hand into a fist.
Kagome and Inuyasha stepped into the light of the small town, wincing slightly at the bright light of the torches before them. Inuyasha glanced to his side, and noticed that Kagome was still clinging to his left arm. She looked up and met his gaze. Her cheeks swiftly changed to a rosy hue, portraying her embarrassment. She let go of Inuyasha's arm and averted her eyes.
Stupid Inuyasha, stupid, he chided himself silently, if you hadn't looked she wouldn't have let go… Wait. Why did he even care?
Much to Inuyasha's dismay, his cheeks also turned pink. He looked away nonchalantly and strode into the town, Kagome's quick, but quiet footsteps following behind. Inuyasha walked through the scarcely populated village and crept into Kaede's hut. Kagome followed him in.
---
Kagome's brown eyes roamed over the small hut and fell on a monk in the corner. He sat with his legs crossed, but his eyes were closed, his breathing coming soft and even. Apparently whatever is ailing Sango isn't bothering him too much, the schoolgirl thought grimly. The girl's eyes gave the room a once-over again.
"Where's Shippou?" she asked, turning to the black-haired Inuyasha.
He shrugged. "I think he went with Sango."
Kagome sighed. Inuyasha never had been the person to go to for exact details…
The girl crept into the room, tiptoeing quietly on the wooden floor as to not awaken the sleeping monk. She sat on the stone part of the hut and pulled out a small notebook labeled 'A.I.' out of her backpack. At this point it did seem sort of obsessive to devote an entire notebook to one small project, but Kagome didn't mind. She pulled a pink hello kitty pencil out of her backpack and began scribbling furiously on the first page of the notebook.
---
Inuyasha gave Kagome a deadpan stare. She had been here for barely ten minutes, and she was already doing her schoolwork. Inuyasha snorted and padded over to the girl. He dropped down into a squat in front of her.
"Why did you come," he asked, his lavender eyes glimmering in the flickering firelight, "If you were just going to do your homework?"
Kagome raised her head to meet Inuyasha's eyes. She smiled and laughed nervously. "Oh, it was just too noisy at my house, ya know? Couldn't get anything done-" she stopped talking and raised an eyebrow. "Do you mind?"
Inuyasha shot a glare at the girl and crept to his corner of the room. He laid on his side, resting his chin in his hand. The hanyou-turned-human-for-the-night stared at Kagome, wondering what exactly she was plotting.
---
Kagome looked over her handwriting studiously, making sure that each option worked out perfectly. Her paper read:
Op. 1: ask him the night before with promises of ramen if he comes
Op. 2: ask him tomorrow when he's barely awake
Op. 3: ask right now. Not only will it be quick and less painful, but it will be… um… less painful
Kagome grimaced slightly. God, those were awful options. But what choice did she have? One of the first thoughts that had come to mind when she saw the tolo poster was to ask Inuyasha. And her friend's sarcastic suggestion of asking her 'rude, jack-ass -blah blah- boyfriend' only strengthened the idea.
The girl glanced across the small room at Miroku, who was still fast asleep, and then at Inuyasha. He stared back. Kagome blinked. He blinked.
"What?!" he asked, seemingly aggravated.
"Nothing," Kagome muttered, staring down at her notebook again. Baka…
The schoolgirl studied her notebook. This is so stupid, she told herself, closing the book. It's not like it's rocket science or anything… Kagome placed the notebook in her backpack, along with her pencil.
She glanced over at Inuyasha, who now had his back to her. "Good night, Inuyasha," she murmured, leaning to the left and propping herself up on her elbows.
"Feh," he mumbled.
Kagome laid her head on the cold, wooden floor. Tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow, she told herself mentally, curling into the fetal position. She closed her eyes lazily, her head already swirling with dreams of what would be.
.-.-.
The next morning approached with snow. A chill swept in through the small window frame of the hut. It blew tiny specks of fresh snow into the small room. One small snowflake landed on Inuyasha's nose.
Inuyasha shook his head, his silver hair whipping about. His amber eyes roamed over the hut. Miroku had seemingly left, but Kagome still lay on the wooden floor on the other side of the room.
The girl lay in the fetal position, her arms and legs huddled close to her delicate body. Inuyasha noticed a layer of small bumps all over her legs. She must be freezing, the hanyou thought, standing up and trotting over to Kagome. He kneeled next to her as her body gave an involuntary shudder.
Inuyasha snorted. It served her right for wearing such skimpy clothing in the dead of winter. He pulled off his haori and placed it over her small frame.
He was just about to creep back to his part of the room, when he noticed that Kagome was stirring. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing soft, brown eyes. She glanced down at Inuyasha's haori, and then at the hanyou himself. A light blush painted her cheeks.
"Arigato, Inuyasha…" she whispered and smiled sleepily. And with that, she was back to sleep.
Inuyasha's stomach did flip-flops on the inside of his body. He felt his cheeks warm and turned away quickly, afraid that Kagome would see his rosy cheeks. The hanyou grimaced and growled softly. Why was he blushing in the first place?
Inuyasha wasn't given enough time to answer that question. He sniffed the air, inhaling the barely noticeable scent of blood. He ran out of the hut, bounding into the powdery snow.
---
Kagome opened her eyes as a gentle wind swept through the hut. She propped herself up on her elbows and stared at the doorway. Where was Inuyasha? She was sure that he had just been here, that he had given her his haori. Or was that all a dream…?
Kagome blinked a couple of times, trying to see through the fuzzy veil of sleep. She brought her fingers and touched her stomach tentatively. She felt the thick, but soft fire-rat haori. So it wasn't a dream, she thought, smiling slightly. The schoolgirl sat up and rubbed her eyes, once again trying to wipe away the sleep. She opened them again, and looked around the hut. Neither Miroku nor Inuyasha were there.
Kagome shivered and pulled Inuyasha's haori around her shoulders. She really should've worn warmer clothes…
The girl stood and wandered to the doorway. She poked her head out, and surveyed the small village. Snow filled the area, turning the small town into a mass of white oblivion. The girl glanced into the snow and saw a pair of footsteps. Each footstep was far in front of the other, indicating that the person whom they belonged to had been running. Inuyasha…
Kagome gave the surrounding area one last look. Why wasn't anyone outside? Surely even people in the Feudal Era could appreciate the snow… The schoolgirl shrugged, but still, something didn't feel right. Nobody was outside, but there wasn't even a sound. She didn't hear any sounds coming from the surrounding huts and small houses. Why was that? The townspeople couldn't still be asleep… could they?
Kagome frowned slightly. The silence of the town shouldn't have been such a big deal, but it seemed to be. The girl let out a small whimper of confusion and frustration before running inside. She grabbed her bow and a few arrows, and headed out, following Inuyasha's fading footsteps.
---
Inuyasha sniffed again. The scent was getting stronger, and more familiar. Miroku, he called silently, don't be dead. The hanyou picked up his pace, almost flying over the snow. His golden eyes searched the forest for Miroku. Why had he left in the first place? Inuyasha shook his head. He would save the questions for later. Right now he needed to find that monk and make sure he was still alive.
Suddenly Inuyasha got a strong blast of the scent of blood. He made an immediate right and continued running. Snow began to fall from the sky, hovering on the wind and hitting Inuyasha in the face. He shook his head furiously, and closed his eyes, trying to block out the snow.
"Sango, get down!"
Inuyasha heard the monk's voice in the midst of all of the snow. It was barely audible, just so that Inuyasha could hear it. He turned and ran in the direction of the voice. Miroku's voice seemed strained, as if he were in great pain, but still trying to fight. A soft growl rose in Inuyasha's throat, his eyes narrowing. Only a little further…
The hanyou reached a small clearing in the trees. Drops of crimson blood stained the snow, creating a sort of trail to Miroku, who sat in the middle of the wooded clearing. His clothes were ripped in several places, his shoulder torn and bloody. Inuyasha gaped at the monk, and then turned his attention to Sango who lay just a few meters away.
The girl lay sprawled on her back, her eyes closed in unconscious agony. Inuyasha noticed that her left sleeve was torn open, revealing fresh, bloody wounds. Kirara lay near her feet, also unconscious.
Inuyasha stood, rooted to the spot, as Shippou appeared out of a small burrow. The small kitsune trotted over to Miroku.
"Are you okay, Miroku?" the little boy asked, looking at Miroku's injury.
Miroku nodded, trying to give the kitsune a smile. It came out in a pained expression. "I'm fine. Go get Inuyasha and Kagome. I don't know if I should move with this wound…"
Shippou nodded and bounded off, running into the thicker part of the forest, towards town. He narrowly missed contact with Inuyasha, but didn't seem to notice.
Inuyasha shook his head ferociously, shaking himself out of his daze. He padded over to Miroku. He kneeled next to the monk.
"What happened?" Inuyasha asked calmly.
Miroku looked at Inuyasha, seemingly shocked that he had gotten there so fast. "A- A youkai," the monk said, "I heard that one was nearby, and went out to look for it. And I found Sango." He shot a concerned glance at the demon exterminator. "She had beaten me to it."
Inuyasha nodded, also glancing at the girl.
"But, it was too much for her," Miroku continued, "I don't know how it's even possible, but… it was killing her." A wave of emotional agony washed over the monk's young face. "I fought it, but…" He motioned to his bleeding shoulder. "It got the best of me. It was powerful, for just an average forest youkai… I tried to use my kazanaa, but it escaped before it could get pulled in."
Inuyasha nodded. "I'll find it later. For now, we need to get you and Sango back to Kaede's hut."
Miroku nodded. "Can you carry her? I'll carry Kirara."
Inuyasha nodded again and padded over to the girl. He gently scooped his arms under her knees and arms and picked her up. Upon being lifted, she opened her eyes lazily. She stared at Inuyasha, confusion glimmering in her eyes.
"Inuyasha…" she said weakly. She glanced at Miroku. "Miroku…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she cried weakly, fighting her tears.
The monk offered a smile to his friend. "Don't worry about it." He picked up Kirara and began running back to the hut, Inuyasha following closely behind.
---
Kagome ran through the snow, her legs becoming more and more tired with each step. Inuyasha's footsteps were starting to become hard to see in the deep snow. More of the fluffy substance was falling from the sky, covering them.
Kagome's grip tightened on her bow. She just knew something bad was going to happen… any minute now…
As if on cue, Kagome fell through an air pocket in the deep snow. She sunk deep into the snow, almost up to her neck. The girl let out a squeak of surprise and grabbed onto a piece of ice, preventing herself from falling even deeper.
Kagome shivered, her clothes becoming soaked by the wet, icy snow. Maybe I should go back, she thought. The idea seemed more and more appealing by the minute. The girl pulled herself out of the snowy pit, and dragged herself onto level ground. She kneeled in the snow, her body shaking.
Kagome stood and started to walk. But wait, she thought, is this the way I came from, or the way I was going? The girl turned around, searching for her footsteps, but to no avail. The increasing amount of snow falling from the clouds had covered her tracks, leaving her stranded in a baron forest of snow and trees.
Kagome's body gave an involuntary shudder. Shit, shit, shit… The schoolgirl's eyes darted around the forest grove. I think I came from that direction…maybe…? She let out a pathetic whimper. Where do I go…?
The girl began to walk in the direction that she hoped she had come from. But that same feeling of uncertainty still clung to her heart.
She suddenly didn't think falling into snowy air pockets would be her biggest problem.
---
Inuyasha strode into the small hut and laid Sango on the wooden floor. His eyes searched the room for Kagome, but only found Shippou, who was sitting next to a blazing fire.
"Oi, Shippou," he called, "Where's Kagome?"
The kitsune blinked and shrugged. "I thought she'd be with you," he said.
Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. Kagome… isn't here? He asked silently. Maybe she went home… but, no, her backpack was still here, so she couldn't have gone back to her time…
"Miroku." Inuyasha turned to the monk who was laying Kirara next to Sango. "Take care of Sango for a bit… I need to look for Kagome, but I'll be back as fast as I can."
The hanyou didn't wait for an answer. He darted out the door, back into the blizzard of white.
---
Kagome's bottom lip quivered, her eyes threatening to burst into tears. "Inuyasha!" she cried at the top of her lungs, though she knew that he would never be able to hear her with all of the interference.
The girl continued walking, wrapping the cold, wet haori around her shoulders even tighter. I have to get home, she told herself, I have to ask Inuyasha to tolo… Kagome's brow furrowed at that last thought. Maybe she was delirious…
Kagome stopped dead in her tracks. What the hell is that? She asked herself. She could hear a considerable amount of growling behind her. Inuyasha? She thought, turning around.
All color that had managed to stay on her face drained. Not Inuyasha… Kagome found herself face-to-face with a youkai; one that she had never seen before. It was big; about half of the size of Sesshoumaru in his demon form. It had pearly white fangs, dripping with blood; and a grey ruff of fur, which stood out from its white body. The youkai had the body of an oversized dog, but the face of a monster from a child's nightmare. Its red eyes searched Kagome.
The girl stared back, completely frozen by fear. Get out your bow and arrow, baka! She demanded of herself as she began to back away. Trembling fingers gripped the handle of the bow, as her other hand began to place an arrow into it. Her shaking fingers dropped the bow and arrow. The girl shook her hands, which were now numb. Dammit… She stared at her lifeless hands, and then back at the youkai.
Only one thing to do now… she told herself.
Run.
Kagome turned and ran into the blinding snow, hearing the pursuit of the demon behind her. The cold wind attacked her face and teeth, sending painful chills throughout her body. Every muscle in her body was frozen and aching, but she managed to scream out one word…
"Inuyasha!"
---
The instant Inuyasha heard his name he began running in the direction of the voice. When it reached his ears, it sounded like a faint whisper, but to have even reached him, it would have been a scream. Kagome, hold on…
Inuyasha ran as fast as he possibly could, his feet sinking into the snow with each step. He whipped his head around wildly, searching for Kagome.
"Inuyasha!"
This scream was closer. It also seemed to hold more pain…
Inuyasha growled softly. I'm coming…
The hanyou picked up a new scent: a youkai. But, along with that scent, was the overwhelming smell of fresh blood; Kagome's blood. Inuyasha's growl deepened.
Finally, the hanyou came to a small clearing in the forest. His golden eyes fell on a giant youkai and then moved to Kagome, who was just meters away from the demon. Their eyes connected, her brown eyes filled with fear.
"Kagome!" he shouted. He pulled the Tessaiga out of its sheath and ran at the youkai. He held it over his head and threw it down with great force, sending the kaze no kizu directly through the youkai's spine. The giant demon almost instantly vaporized, leaving just a few bits and pieces of fresh meat on the snowy earth.
The hanyou ignored the demon flesh and ran straight for Kagome. He kneeled next to her. He noticed numerous scratches on her arms and legs, some of which were bleeding.
"Are you alright?" he asked, ignoring the fact that she was bleeding from multiple wounds.
Kagome nodded, and smiled feebly. "I'm just cold," she said in a quiet voice, showing Inuyasha her hands.
Inuyasha stared at her hands. They were starting to change color. Without thinking, the hanyou took her hands in his, blushing slightly as he did so. Kagome did the same.
"If you don't warm up," he started, "you'll freeze to death."
---
Kagome gawked at the hanyou. Was he really holding her hands? Was he really concerned for her? Or was this all a cruel dream? A hallucination, maybe? Kagome had heard somewhere that people see what they want most right before they die from exposure… But, no, that couldn't be it… could it?
Kagome hesitantly pulled her hands from Inuyasha's, almost instantly regretting her actions. She pushed herself off of the ground, but found that standing was very difficult. She held onto a nearby tree trunk for support. Inuyasha stood, his eyes portraying concern.
"My legs are numb," Kagome murmured.
She closed her eyes slowly, and nodded her head. All of a sudden she was so tired, so very, very tired; and all she wanted to do was curl up right there in the snow and sleep. She started to fall into the snow, her grip on the tree loosening. But, Inuyasha caught her. She felt herself being picked up as Inuyasha's voice called to her.
"Kagome!" he shouted, "Kagome!"
His voice was beginning to grow even fainter, until, eventually, it was just darkness.
---
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. It had no effect on the girl; she was already comatose.
Inuyasha sped off in the direction of the town, gliding over the snow, leaping over fallen trees. I have to get her back before she… Inuyasha couldn't finish his thought.
After what seemed like far too long, Inuyasha reached Kaede's hut. He rushed in, placing Kagome next to the fire. Miroku rushed to her, his shoulder already wrapped in white bandages.
"What happened?" the monk asked, putting a warm hand to Kagome's forehead.
"I don't know," the hanyou replied, refusing to meet Miroku's questioning eyes, "The youkai found her before I did… but I don't know why she was out there…" Inuyasha placed the back of a clawed hand on her cheek, and frowned. "She's as cold as ice."
"She must have been out there for a long time," Miroku murmured, surveying her body. "Her clothes are soaking." He reached for the top button of her blouse, but Inuyasha grabbed it.
"Don't even think about it, you pervert," he growled.
Miroku smiled and laughed nervously putting up his hands in an 'I-give-up' stance, but then returned to all seriousness. "We do need to get her out of those wet clothes though…"
"I'll do it."
Both Inuyasha and Miroku turned around to stare at Sango. Her major injuries had been wrapped in bandages, but she still looked weary. She kneeled next to Kagome and started unbuttoning her shirt, starting from the bottom. She stopped and glared at Miroku and Inuyasha.
"Do you mind?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Inuyasha and Miroku took the hint and left the hut, sitting right outside on a wooden bench.
---
Inside of the hut, Sango was working diligently to pry Kagome's wet clothes off of her cold body. She laid them across the stone floor of the hut, and then placed a blanket over Kagome. She had brought it from her world earlier, and Sango believed that the term for it was 'fleece.' It was very soft, and, hopefully, very warm.
Sango stood and strode to the doorway of the hut. Miroku and Inuyasha shot anxious glances at her.
"You can come in now," she said, "but we still need to do something… she's freezing."
Inuyasha and Miroku nodded and walked into the warm hut.
---
Miroku walked to his corner of the hut and sat, while Inuyasha padded to Kagome and kneeled next to her. He touched her forehead with his fingertips. She was still so cold…
Inuyasha noticed Sango kneeling next to him. She held a small cup of steaming tea. "This might help," she murmured. The girl placed her free hand on the back of Kagome's head and tipped the cup over her open mouth, letting the tea flow in.
"We need to keep her warm, but not hot," Sango said, "If we make her too hot too fast, she could die."
Inuyasha nodded, staring at Kagome with concerned eyes. Sango stood and walked over to where Kirara and Shippou lay. "I'll check on her later…" she muttered, "but, for now, this is all we can really do." She laid next to Kirara and closed her eyes.
Inuyasha still kneeled next to Kagome, watching her eyes; waiting for them to open. Be okay, Kagome… he pleaded silently.
---
Light… where's that light coming from? Where am I…? How did I get here…? Multiple thoughts swarmed Kagome's exhausted mind as she lay, cold and still, in the hut. Her eyelids felt heavy and frozen, but she pried them open, wincing slightly at the bright light that greeted her. She closed them again.
"Kagome?" an uncertain hanyou's voice called to her.
"Inuyasha…" she murmured, smiling slightly, though she had no idea why she did so. She urged her eyes open once again, to look upon the hanyou next to her.
Inuyasha sat next to her, his face just inches from hers. "Inuyasha…" she said again, "I'm sorry."
The hanyou pulled back and sat. He snorted. "Baka," he muttered, "For what?"
Now that she thought about it, Kagome really wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. "For running into the snow, and making you save me, again," she decided.
"Feh," Inuyasha mumbled, "It's nothing."
Kagome smiled. It's not nothing, Inuyasha, she wanted to say, it really is something…
"I'm sorry I didn't get there faster," he said, hanging his head and letting his bangs fall over his amber eyes.
"Inuyasha, it's fine," she said. Her smile widened. She propped herself onto her elbows. "But, I know how you can make it up to me…" She grinned deviously.
The hanyou raised an eyebrow. "How?" he asked, seemingly curious, but also somewhat afraid of what her suggestion would be.
"Will you go to tolo with me?" she asked innocently, titling her head slightly.
---
Inuyasha stared at Kagome, a bemused expression on his face. He still wasn't quite sure what tolo was; the idea of it was foreign to him.
But, still… it would be a way to make it up to Kagome… to make up for not being there right when she needed him.
Inuyasha gave Kagome a quirky smile and nodded. "Hai."
.-.-.
Author's notes: yay, the seventh chapter is done! Amen and hallelujah, right? ; Some of you may have noticed quite a bit of angst/drama in this chapter… well… I just couldn't stay away! My friends know it, and I guess you guys do too, now… I'm a sucker for the angst. XD And, I have to say it… goddammit, I love Inuyasha! XD ::glomps Inu::