Hey la, hey la, the author's back. You know what? Forget about checking every three days. There's no way around that stupid AN, so I'll just leave it there.
So, for the lemon, I've got...*counts*...one 'yes', one 'no', and one 'yes if you really want to'. That's good enough for me. I WILL FORGE ON! And it will come...*smiles*...next chapter. "Gasp!" I told you it would be soon! Now, remember my detailed instructions...
I will create a new fic known as "The Other Swordsman: Chapter 39". It WILL be rated R, so you'll have to look for it. It might take me some time to get my creative juices flowing (so to speak) so you'll likely see it in a week.
THE STORY AWAITS!
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Chapter 38: The Chase Is On
Tobias, again, was the first to move. He leaped through the air towards the General, with his glowing sword held out.
"Take the others and go to the well!" he shouted. "I'll hold off the General!" Inuyasha hoisted Kagome onto his back and took off. Behind him, he could see Kirara flying into the sky, carrying Miroku, Sango, and Shippo.
"You will not be doing much holding off, boy," muttered the General as Tobias soared towards him. He brought out his own sword and held it at the ready. Tobias's sword slammed into his with tremendous force, but the General held his position. He pushed down with even greater force, sending Tobias falling into the dense forest below.
He then began leisurely leaping from treetop to treetop. He did not look like he was exerting himself at all, like he was on a carefree stroll through the woods. Looking below him, the General saw Inuyasha desperately running, carrying Kagome. His eyebrow went up. Such easy prey...I thought they would actually try. He let himself fall and landed directly in front of them. Kagome shrieked and Inuyasha skidded to a halt. The General held up a hand.
"You are going the wrong way, you idiot," he said, with the slightest edge to his voice. "The well is to the north." He pointed. Not waiting for the attack that he was sure was coming, Inuyasha sped off in that direction. The General watched them leave.
Who knows...this might shape up to be fun after all. He took to the treetops again, jumping from branch to branch. That is the entire reason I organized this...my life has been dreadfully dull as of late, what with searching for the last jewel shard and only an occasional game of chess to divert me. At least in the future, they have video games.
Tobias charged behind the General and attacked. Unfortunately for the General, he was in the air at the time, and he didn't have nearly as much leverage as before. Thrown off balance, he reversed his fall with a double somersault and landed on his feet. Tobias was right on top of him as he landed.
The General whirled to block Tobias's fierce slash, and returned with another. The General brushed aside Tobias's sword and brought his own towards Tobias's unprotected neck. Tobias leaped high into the air, lashing out with an armored boot on the top of the General's head. The General blinked under the impact, then grabbed Tobias's leg and hurled him away. He then resumed his previous course.
Inuyasha was moving as fast as his legs would take him towards where the General had indicated. The forest was a blur around him...and he could feel Kagome's grip beginning to slip. Quick as lightning, he wrapped his arms around her back to make sure she wouldn't fall off at the high speeds he was moving at. Over his head, he could see the General leaping towards the well, far outpacing him.
Seconds later, Tobias flew through the air to intercept him. The clang and clash of sword on sword was heard as Inuyasha ran beneath them. An awful ripping sound, like metal tearing through flesh, rent the air, and the General dropped down in front of Inuyasha. He pointed his sword at him. It glowed blue, and two balls of energy rushed out of the tip and hit Inuyasha's feet. They coalesced into solid ice; and no matter how Inuyasha struggled, they weren't breaking.
The General moved in, holding up his sword. A roar was heard from behind, and a glowing red bead flew between Inuyasha's legs to impact the ground between him and the General. The ground exploded into flame, shattering the ice and propelling Inuyasha into the air. Dazed but unhurt, he landed on his feet and kept running.
"You do annoy me, boy," said the General. He had not been fazed by the blast of fire. "But, this is all part of the game." He advanced on Tobias and locked swords with him. "You know I always keep my word," he whispered. "But that goes both ways." He moved back abruptly, Tobias overbalanced and fell forward. As he came down, the General brought his elbow down on the back of Tobias's head. Tobias grunted and hit the ground, unconscious.
Inuyasha had taken to the treetops, imitating the General; it got him there faster and he was less vulnerable. Or, at least, so he thought. The General came bounding up behind him, sword out. He was about to strike when a large boomerang whooshed past him. He dodged it easily, but it caused him to miscalculate his velocity, and he missed the treetop and plummeted. A shout from the foliage told everyone Tobias had awoken and was waiting for him.
Kirara swooped nearby and Sango caught Hiraikotsu. She flashed Inuyasha a quick grin, then beckoned him forward. Inuyasha nodded his thanks and sped onwards toward the well.
And so it went for hours; Inuyasha and Kagome running, the General catching up, and Tobias beating him back. Inuyasha and Tobias were tiring, but the General did not seem fatigued in the slightest. He almost smiled as he steadily closed in on the well, every step he took outpacing them further and further.
Inuyasha sprang to the top of an immensely tall tree. Expecting to see nothing but more wilderness, he looked into the distance. He nearly fell off the tree at the sight, and alerted Kagome. She blinked and stared.
It was the well. They were in reach, and the General was nowhere in sight. He had disappeared under a huge firestorm Tobias had let loose, and had not come out again.
"YES!" Inuyasha roared. "We did it!" Without wasting a second more, he jumped to the ground and dashed towards the well. He broke through a stand of trees, he was in the clearing, they would –
The General appeared in front of them, and did a perfect circle kick to Inuyasha's jaw. He flew back, twisting in midair so as not to land on Kagome. He sprawled out and lay dizzy. Kagome jumped from his back into the underbrush.
Tobias leaped into the clearing, but was rebounded by the General's attack and hit the ground next to Inuyasha. Kirara swooped in overhead, but the General did not flinch. He soared into the air and sliced a long gash across Kirara's side. The cat demon yowled and dropped from the sky, her terrified riders struggling to hang on as she fell. They landed with a hard thump and lay still.
Inuyasha and Tobias rose as one and charged the General, attacking with everything they had. A furious battle began as both warriors tried to stop the General from approaching the well. The General dodged Inuyasha's attack and blocked Tobias's. He lashed out with his sword and scored a long scar across Inuyasha's back, but Tobias's sword smashed against his armor and forced him back.
Kagome hid among the bushes. The General was far too close to the well, he could touch it at any second, and then her family would be lost, not to mention her way home. She snuck to the edge of the clearing, not wanting to be spotted, and she crept to the center...
The General's sword glowed blue, and he held it in front of him. A burst of ice exploded from its length, the shards tearing through the combatants' flesh and staggering both of them. The General moved in and knocked them both flat, then turned and jumped to the side of the well.
"I have changed my mind," he said lightly. "Instead of traveling through the well, I will simply destroy it. Far less might happen that way." He raised his sword high, and was about to bring it crashing down on the frail wood...
He stopped.
Everyone stopped.
Time stopped.
The General's sword hung in the air, the tip a millimeter from the edge of the well.
Kagome's hand grasped the rim.
For a full minute, nobody moved a muscle. Even the wind ceased blowing, as if the gods themselves were holding their breath. An unknown emotion flickered through the General's eyes – pain, anger, pride, who could tell? – as he stared a hole into the well and Kagome.
He stirred. He brought his sword away from the well and stepped back.
"I am a man of my word," he said slowly, as though every word was costing him dearly. "You have won. I will not destroy the well, nor will I travel through it." He turned to Tobias and Inuyasha, who were dumbstruck by this turn of events. "However, I find it grating on my nerves to leave you without one last message, and a parting gift."
Inuyasha blinked. "We don't want anything of yours, General," he snarled. Tobias gripped his sword tightly. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo walked unsteadily into the clearing. Sango was carrying Kirara, who was in her untransformed state and bleeding heavily.
"Well, bully for you, then." He jumped to the top of a solemn-looking tree. He held out his sword, and it glowed a faint blue. Clouds began to gather overhead.
"Let the winds of war bring snow," he said, very quietly. A single snowflake floated down through the air, following a lazy path to rest on the tip of Tobias's sword. Seconds later, a mighty torrent of snow and wind descended on the group. The General was lost from sight in the blizzard.
"You guys, come with me!" shouted Tobias. "I can protect you!" He looked around, and counted their party. Only Miroku and Shippo were in his sight. He backed up a little, and nearly tripped over Sango, who was huddled over in the sudden buildup of snow, trying to keep Kirara warm.
"Where's Inuyasha and Kagome?" he yelled. He looked this way and that, but the snow was falling thicker and faster with every minute, and visibility had decreased to the point where only adjacent people could be seen. Cursing, he turned back to his group.
"They can handle themselves!" he shouted. "Come with me! I'll keep you safe!"
"How?" shouted Shippo. "It's fr-fr-freezing!" A small icicle hung from the tip of his nose.
Tobias's sword blazed red. A great flame shot up all along the length of it, so the entire sword was ablaze. "Like this!" he roared. "Stick with me, we can find shelter! We won't last long in one of the General's storms!" As he led the shivering group away, one question repeated itself over and over in his head. Where the hell are Inuyasha and Kagome?
Where the hell are Tobias and the rest? Inuyasha yelled in his head as he frantically glanced around in the blizzard. Movement caught his eye. Kagome was standing nearby, shivering and shaking from the cold, her pack dangling from her shoulders. Mentally cursing himself for not helping Kagome sooner, he gathered her into his arms. Sure, he was cold; but he could deal with it, being a hanyou and all.
"Kagome?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"
"It's s-s-so c-cold, Inuy-yasha," she mumbled. "Where's...T-T-Tobias?"
"I don't know. But we have to get to shelter soon, or else..." A frightening image flashed through his mind, of Kagome, frozen solid, lying on the snowy ground. He banished the thought from his mind; thinking things like that wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Where'd you get your stuff from?"
"Around..." She gestured faintly, then quickly gathered her arms back together to avoid the biting cold.
And so, gathering Kagome tightly against him, he began to walk into the howling snow, hoping against hope that there was hope to be found.
Half an hour later, Inuyasha was getting desperate. He was beginning to be seriously affected by the cold, much more so than he normally would. He was carrying Kagome in his arms, she being too weak to hang on his back like normal. Her entire body was tinged blue, and she would not stop trembling. Her eyelids flickered.
"Yasha..." she mumbled. "In...ysa." Inuyasha stopped and put his ear close to her mouth, to try and catch what she was saying. He saw her eyelids droop.
"NO!" He shook Kagome roughly until she opened her eyes again. "Don't you dare fucking fall asleep Kagome! You know what will happen!"
"But...I'm so tired..." she mumbled. "And it's so..." She trailed off. Dammit, Inuyasha thought desperately, if we don't find shelter soon, she's done for! A hut, a cave, a thick stand of trees, anything! Have I worked for years to find the courage to tell her I love her, only to have her taken away? Please, gods...don't let her die. He struggled against the wind and bulled through the feet of snow that had built up on the ground.
And there it was. Inuyasha could not believe his eyes. A small shack, just on the edge of his vision. Using the last of his energy, Inuyasha leaped from the freezing snow and landed near the shack. He forced the door open and slammed it shut again the instant he was inside. He looked around.
The windows were sealed shut. A small closet hung half-open in one corner. There was some scattered and broken wooden furniture, but that was it in terms of supplies. Inuyasha dropped to his knees and thanked the gods for bringing Kagome and him to this place. Apparently they do care after all. Inuyasha laid Kagome on the ground, and turned away to make a fire.
He turned back again. She was still freezing, and her wet clothes were only bringing her temperature down lower. She needed to be stripped.
Inuyasha gulped. Sure, they had mated before, but he was still kind of anxious about seeing her naked, especially in such a condition. Realizing that she would only get worse the longer he sat and thought about it, he reached over and began to peel her clothes from her body. She stirred.
"Inu...?" she whispered feebly.
"Shh...it's okay. You're safe now, Kagome. I just need to get you out of your wet clothes." He finished stripping her. As he lifted her shirt, he noticed her flesh was a dull purple color, and shivered himself. He didn't have much time.
He built up a small fire as fast as he could with the remnants of the furniture and put Kagome close to it. Then Inuyasha investigated the closet. There were some dried sticks, some rotten bread, some knitting wool...
A blanket. Inuyasha nearly yelled aloud with joy. A blanket! A dry blanket! He snatched it out of the closet and draped it over Kagome, and bundled her up in it as best he could. It was about then that he noticed his own predicament.
He was also freezing, and when he looked at his skin below his kimono, it was pale blue. He gasped aloud at the condition he had gotten himself into while trying to save Kagome. His clothes were as cold and as wet as hers...there was only one thing to do.
Keeping his underwear on, as that hadn't gotten too wet, Inuyasha quickly disrobed and lay next to the fire. Mentally judging the size of the blanket and Kagome's relative health, he crept over and slowly pulled the blanket over the both of them, him facing away from her. The blanket was swept from his grip and hung loosely over his side. He realized that it wasn't big enough to cover them both, unless they were really close to each other...and facing each other.
Damn. And just when he thought the sexual frustration couldn't get any worse.
He had been rather upset through the General's whole reign of terror, as him and Kagome rarely exchanged any more than a quick kiss, and certainly never mated. It was too dangerous. And now, here he was, lying nearly naked next to Kagome, who was also nearly naked, and he couldn't do one goddamn thing. The gods wanted to keep him alive, but they also wanted to make him suffer a bit, he decided. But if it would keep Kagome healthy...
Inuyasha turned over; and, steeling himself, pressed himself up against Kagome. He gasped at how icy her flesh felt, but he entangled his arms and legs around her and got the blanket surrounding them both. Now there was nothing more to do than to wait.
Tobias stood inside a cave. There was a blazing fire at the entrance, melting the snow before it could reach them, and another near the back. The rest of them were warming up near the other fire, and Miroku had begun cooking something. Tobias sat down and began to think. I can only hope Inuyasha and Kagome are all right. There's no way to tell...we can only wait until this storm ends; which, knowing the General, won't be for a while. You two are smart...figure something out. I know you will. He turned back to the others. "So, what is that you're cooking?"
Kagome drifted back to consciousness. Her entire body felt achy, like she had just been slammed into a wall. Slowly, she began to take in her surroundings. She was still extremely cold, but there was a fire next to her, warming her up. All her clothes had vanished. She was lying on the floor, wrapped in a blanket, and pressed up against something very warm...Her eyes snapped open and she turned to face Inuyasha.
He jumped a little at her sudden movement, but did not dislodge the blanket. "Umm...Kagome? You're awake? This isn't what it looks like..." She smiled weakly.
"I know, Inuyasha. We just needed to warm up. Why are you so worried about it anyway?" She shifted a little to get closer to the fire. "We've made love in the past, why are you embarrassed now to be this close?"
"Well..." Inuyasha looked sideways. "It's just that...ever since the General showed up, we haven't done much of anything together. I thought you were too upset...and you were," he added, seeing the pained look on Kagome's face. "And now, that you nearly froze to death...I just didn't think it was..." He searched for the right word. "...appropriate."
"Inuyasha," she said affectionately. She kissed him on the nose. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm better now...it still hurts, but I am much better than I was out there. I know you wouldn't do anything I didn't want you to do." She yawned. "I am tired now, though. I think we should both get some sleep."
"Yeah...sleep." Inuyasha finally allowed his eyes to close and contented himself with savoring the feel of Kagome's finally-warm flesh next to his.
Some amount of time later, Kagome woke up. Inuyasha still looked asleep, so she quieted herself. She looked out the window and frowned. If anything, it was snowing even HARDER than before! Just how long was this storm going to last? At least she had brought her pack with her... She nudged against Inuyasha and nearly gasped as she felt something against her...something that she instantly knew what it was. She cocked an eyebrow. So he was aroused in his sleep? That gave her a devilish idea.
Wasn't this kind of like the last two times they made love? He had pulled her from a terrible fate, pulled her from unconsciousness into his loving embrace? She smiled evilly. Well, two can play at that game, she thought seductively. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. He mumbled something but remained asleep. Kagome brought one arm around his chest and back, to draw him as close to her as possible, and kissed him again. She deepened the kiss, teasing his lips with her tongue, while her other hand sought out one of his ears and began to massage it.
Inuyasha gradually came awake to a very pleasant feeling coursing through him. His mouth was covered by something extremely warm, and his ears were twitching with pleasure. His eyes opened to see Kagome's face right in front of his own, kissing his lips, and from the feeling he guessed she was rubbing his ears as well.
He brought both his arms around her to press her even closer to him. As she opened her mouth in shock, he took the opportunity to plunge his tongue deep into her velvety cavern, teasing the roof of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, playfully rubbing up against her tongue with his.
He broke the kiss and smiled at her. "Kagome..." he began gently.
"Inuyasha," she said, more firmly. He quieted. "The storm hasn't gotten any better, so there's no going outside. Our clothes are still wet. We're basically stuck here, naked, under the blanket until the storm stops, which probably won't be for hours. What do you think I'm going to say next?"
Inuyasha nodded. "You want to mate?"
"No." Inuyasha was shocked. "I want to make love to you." Oh. What's the difference again? "Okay," he said, purring at her words.
"I'm sorry, but mate just sounds so...so animal. I want to feel you inside me, Inuyasha. And I want it soon." Inuyasha was thrown at her words. Kagome never spoke like this! But, then again, he wasn't complaining, as he leaned in and began the kiss once more.
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And you can see where the lemon would begin. That is where I shall leave off. Read, REVIEW, and enjoy the future lemon!