Keade's small hut seemed crowded as four of the six occupants huddled around the tiny fire pit. The storm outside was beginning to let up, but as the clouds moved on they would leave almost two feet of snow in their wake. The group of friends fought off the chill that seeped through the walls of Keade's home and tried to find comfort in the presence of the others.
Miroku chanced a glance toward the other side of the fire where Kagome had been laid. Inuyasha was still by her side, as he had been since dawn. The entire day had almost passed, and the hanyou refused to leave except for a few brief moments now and again. Kagome's nightmares had been growing steadily worse, but each time Inuyasha held and cared for her until the dream passed. If he wasn't here, she'd probably be dead, Miroku thought in wonder.
As Inuyasha stood Miroku hurriedly shifted his gaze back to the fire. From the corner of his eye he could see the hanyou silently slip through the doorway and into the snowy world beyond. Once Inuyasha's spot had been vacated, Shippo immediately scurried to Kagome's side and began his own vigil over his pseudo-mother.
While the others huddled inside by the warmth of the fire, Inuyasha stretched his cramping muscles outside the shelter of the hut. The clouds had dispersed by now, leaving the sun to set in a magnificent show of oranges and reds, soon followed by the blues and purples of the coming night. Inuyasha raised one hand to shield his sensitive eyes against the glare of the sunset on the unbroken snow, knowing that Kagome would have appreciated the beauty of the moment. Beautiful sunsets were not something that Iuyasha cared much for, and so he quickly went back to reliving the tension in his stiff muscles.He stepped gingerly into the settled snow, pausing as his body sunk into the powdery ground. The cold did not bother him as it did humans, and so he continued forward until he was out of site of Keade's home. Once he had reached a suitable location, he leapt onto the white branches of his chosen tree and settled in. There were so many things that he needed to think about, but none more so than Kagome. Inuyasha knew that it was probably his fault that the girl was laying in there, unconscious, fighting for her life. If only I hadn't been so stubborn, he berated himself for what must have been the thousandth time.
He should have just let the matter rest; after all, he was just as tired as they were. Though he hated to admit it, every so often he too needed a break. But for some reason he had to pick a fight with Kagome about it. That was one reason they argued so much; for some reason Inuyasha always felt the need to disagree with her. Whatever the cause for his pig-headedness, Inuyasha knew that the fight could easily have been avoided. Now he was left with the enormous guilt he felt at failing to protect Kagome. Miroku had hit upon the truth on that point at least. He had failed as her protector, and now she was paying the price for it. He wondered if she would ever be able to forgive him. Now, if only I can forgive myself...
With that thought ringing in his head, Inuyasha prepared to head back to Kagome's side. As he moved to leap from the heavy branches, the chill evening breeze brought a strange scent to his nose. That smells like...Before he could identify the smell his keen eyes caught a faint shimmer in the night sky. Kikyo's soul collectors! She must be somewhere close!
Indecision tore at the hanyou. Should he go back to Kagome, or should he follow Kikyo's demons? Maybe Kikyo knows of a way to cure Kagome, he reasoned, and set off after the departing soul collectors.
While dusk spread her gentle hand over the world, the companions in the hut began to speak quietly to each other. They talked of times gone past, of friends and loved ones alive or dead, and some of their hopes for the future. Miroku listened intently as Sango spoke of Kohaku, and forced himself to resist the urge to hold her close. Whenever she talked of her younger brother her voice grew so weary, and Miroku could barely stand to see the pain in her eyes.
After a while, Sango could no longer bare to think of her brother. Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes, she gave one last thought to Kohaku before turning her mind back to the present. "I wonder where Inuyasha has gone?" she asked aloud.
"Do not worry, child. He just needed a moment to himself. With his sensitive nose, the scent of Kagome's sickness must be unbearable for him. As before, he shall return when his senses and his heart have quieted." Keade placed a wrinkled hand on Sango's slim shoulders as she shuffled past. With an effort she bent to pick up a small pot and handed it to the girl. "Take ye this pot and place in it some of the new snow. We shall melt it and use it when we cook our dinner."
Sango took the pot and stood, using Miroku's shoulder to push off of. Her footsteps fell silently on the wooden flooring as she made her way toward the door.
Kotori waited for a while after the hanyou had vanished into the woods. He sat there, attempting to figure out how to complete this last task. The water supply that he was supposed to place the powder in had long since frozen under the cold ice and snow of the storm, leaving him in a difficult position. He knew he must somehow figure out how to carry out the priestess' request, but no opportunity had presented itself.
Just as he was about to admit defeat, a figure stepped out of the small hut. It appeared to be a woman, different from the one he had blown the powder on before. She was wrapped in blankets to stave off the winter evening's chill, and she seemed to be carrying something...
Upon closer examination, Kotori realized that it was a cooking pot. The woman must be using it to put snow in, he reasoned. If only he could find a way to get the powder into that pot...
The perfect opportunity presented itself when he watched the woman place the pot in the snow and head back inside. He quickly ran forward through the snow and emptied the bag of sleeping powder into the half-filled pot. With a nervous glance toward the hut, he hurriedly began mixing the powder into the snow. After smoothing the snow enough to erase evidence of tampering, he made his way back into the woods. It was a simple matter to cover the few tracks he had made, for he had learned long ago how to hide his presence in any weather. After completing that final task, he hid himself in the snow-blanketed trees and waited.
Author's Note: Ha HA! You probably thought I'd skipped the note this time. Well, I actually have a favor to ask...does anyone know how to but the asteris in? It's very difficult to follow a story if you can't tell when the POV changes...sigh...
