Chapter XIII
Yamase
With the sunrise came the realization that Nobara was still missing. The group was preparing to leave as Kagome places her sleeping bag back in her backpack and looks into the woods concerned. She still remembers the last words Inuyasha had said to Nobara.
"Ofukuro was right about you, you never keep your promises."
She wanted to say something to Inuyasha then but was unable to. She was still shocked that Nobara had not kept her promise to not harm Kikyou. Kagome remembers last night as Nobara stood at the bottom of the ravine with Kikyou and Inuyasha above her. She could see the desperation on her face, and the pain of knowing Inuyasha would protect Kikyou.
"You ready, Kagome?"
The young hanyou's familiar voice drifts into her thoughts and she looks up at him.
"But Inuyasha," Kagome rises to stand. "What about Nobara? She did not return last night at all."
"Yes, maybe it is best if we wait for her to come back," Miroku chimes in.
Inuyasha folds his arms and gazes off into the trees, his typical impatient sneer on his face. Kagome rolls her eyes and is about to speak when she sees something. There in Inuyasha's eyes was the hint of remorse.
"Does he feel bad for what he said to her?"
"Keh," Inuyasha says closing his eyes and beginning to walk away to lead the group down the road again. "I am sure wherever she is, she will catch up."
The rest of the group watches him walk ahead. They were all reluctant to leave, unsure of where their new friend was and worried about her.
"Are you coming?"
With that, the group gives a unanimous sigh and follows the stubborn hanyou. Shippou bounces ahead and lands on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Inuyasha, we should wait for Nobara!"
"Keh!" he responds turning away. "And why should we do that?"
"Because you shouldn't have said those things about her, you probably hurt her feelings. And that's why she is gone, you dummy!"
Inuyasha stops walking and scowls.
A loud thud is heard as Shippou falls off Inuyasha's shoulder with a big swollen bump on his head.
"You! Inuyasha! Grrr," Shippou whines as Kagome picks him up and tries to treat his bump.
Inuyasha continues to walk ahead appearing unfazed by the little kitsune-youkai's words. He remembers standing there in front of Nobara and seeing the agony she was going through. He almost understood why she was so angry at Kikyou. He looks up at the sky and is reminded of her pale blue eyes.
"Nobara…where are you?"
Somewhere in a small house on a cliff sat Hakudoushi. Kagura is spotted in the distance as she flies towards him on her feather, the young Kohaku at her side sitting idly by. Hakudoushi rises as they approach.
"Kagura," he states when she is in earshot and quickly jumps down from her feather with Kohaku. "Did you get the youkai Naraku asked for?"
Kagura looks at the human child beside her and Kohaku nods to Hakudoushi.
"Hai. He is locked in a cave not far from here," Kohaku answers in a monotone voice.
"Did he agree to do as we asked?"
Kagura folds her arms and looks at Hakudoushi annoyed.
"Hai."
An evil sneer spreads across the face of the white haired youkai child.
"Well, then. Go ahead with Naraku's plan."
Kagura nods and takes the feather out of her hair again and leaps back onto her feather.
"Kagura," Hakudoushi states calmly and Kagura lowers her feather down closer. The strange child removes a small ivory blade from within the sleeve of his kimono and tosses it to her. "Do not forget what we discussed."
Kagura looks at the blade curiously. It was entirely made out of an ivory colored stone with ancient encryptions along the peerless white blade and ivory hilt.
"Do not forget," Hakudoushi warns then turns to Kohaku.
"Kohaku, go with Kagura."
Kohaku obediently nods and jumps up on the feather, a knot of nervousness twirling in his stomach over his next task.
The inu-tachi was still walking down the path on their search for Naraku and now also in search for Nobara. As they enter a meadow, s sudden wind picks up and Kagome shivers a little. Inuyasha sees her reaction and smells the coolness in the breeze.
"That wind is cold," Shippou exclaims as he jumps up to Kagome's shoulder. Sango wraps her arms tighter around Kirara and the little neko-youkai mews. Miroku looks around suspiciously the wind blowing harder and colder, but the houshi's intuition knew something wasn't right. Especially when he sees flakes of snow blow in the wind.
"It is not winter. Why is there snow!"
"This is no ordinary wind!" Inuyasha says as he unsheathes Tessaiga. "I can smell Naraku!"
The group looks at him and gasp. Kagome hugs Shippou closer to her, as the snow begins to pile in the meadow around them.
"I can sense a strong jaki nearby, too," Sango calls out.
"There!" Miroku cries out as the group follows his outstretched finger to the sky before them and sees the familiar feather.
"Kagura!" Kagome exclaims. The kaze-youkai's feather was immune to the strong winds that its rider controlled. And Inuyasha regretfully realizes that it was her he smelled and not his great adversary.
"Kohaku!" Sango yells seeing her younger brother sitting beside Kagura.
Kohaku looks down at his sister, his face showing no recognition, yet in his heart he knew her.
"Ane-ue."
Kohaku's memory, the memory of his life as a youkai taijiya and how he had killed his father and comrades, had returned to him. But if Naraku knew that the memory he erased from the young boys mind returned he would kill the boy. Kill him before Kohaku could avenge his family. Kohaku leaps down dressed in his youkai taijiya regalia, the sickle chain weapon of his choice in hand. He stares into the group ignoring his sister and searches for the target they were after. He looks up to Kagura questioningly when she realizes the same thing.
"Where is Nobara?" the kaze-youkai ponders and then waves her fan as more wind erupts, giving Kohaku the signal. Kohaku takes out a small horn and blows on it. The howl of the wind erupts from the horn and a similar howl responds. Kagura's fan produces a wind spell that keeps the winds blowing and suddenly the snow blew around the group even harder creating a blizzard. As the blizzard blows towards the group, Sango quickly tosses Kirara up in the air and Kirara quickly transforms. Sango leaps onto her back and keeps her focus on Kohaku.
As snow begins to gather around the group, a massive youkai emerges from the trees. The youkai was as tall as the trees and his body appeared hard as rock. He was wearing what looked to be samurai armor yet lined with white fur. His skin was a pale blue and his eyes were black. He had a long pointed nose and a gaunt face that looked small in his massive horned samurai helmet. He had a cape of snow white hair falling down his back and whiter beard circling his face.
"Inuyasha!" the youkai bellows. He smiles wickedly, showing a row of jagged sharp teeth. A howling laugh erupts from him as the group watches this youkai, unsure of what his purpose was. Inuyasha jumps ahead to face the youkai, as the blizzard unknowingly swallow Miroku, Kagome and Shippou behind him, drowning out their calls to him.
The youkai looks down at Inuyasha surprised.
"You are the son of the great tai-youkai, Inu-no-Taisho?" The youkai bellows, chuckling. "You are a hanyou!"
Inuyasha sneers and his blood boils even though his ears were freezing.
"Who the hell are you!" Inuyasha calls back annoyed.
"I am Yamase from the mountains. And Inu-no-Taisho was my adversary many years ago and he banished me to the Southern Mountains. Since he is no longer alive for me to kill to break my banishment I will kill you and retrieve back my honor so I can return home."
"Keh!" Inuyasha spats as he tightens his grip on Tessaiga and leaps towards the youkai.
Sango focuses only on her brother and even though she senses her friends could use her help the thought that her brother was near overwhelms her. She suddenly sees him on the rim of the snow covered area where Inuyasha was fighting Yamase. Kohaku stands there alone then turns to leave disappearing into the trees.
"No! Kohaku!"
"Kirara!" she calls and Kirara flies forward through the sky. Sango could not bear to miss this chance.
"Sango!"
"Sango-chan!"
Kagome and Miroku call after her as they barely see her above them and then take off into the unknown. Kagome, Miroku and Shippou find themselves in a freezing wind tunnel that Kagura was controlling. All they could do was see above them, everything to their sides was blinding white. And it was cold, very cold. Miroku sensing the bad situation is about to remove his prayer beads to try and deflect these cold winds until he sees the swarm of Saimyoushou above them. He grimaces at the thought of being helpless again and replaces the beads. The cold wind picks up again and Shippou suddenly falls out of Kagome's arms.
"Kagome!" he calls as he turns and sees Kagome collapse in a snow drift. She lies there unconscious and is being quickly buried by the blizzard like wind. "Miroku!"
Miroku turns alarmed and quickly runs to help Shippou unbury Kagome. He lifts her out of the drift and her skin is like ice.
"Kagome-sama!"
"Kagome!" Shippou cries as he tries to shake her.
"She is hypothermic," Miroku exclaims. He looks around but the blizzard is creating blinding conditions. "We need a fire! Shippou!"
Shippou ran out a little ways and tries to call Inuyasha for help. "Inuyasha!" he calls but the wind drowns out his small voice. He returns to the unmoving cold Kagome. Miroku carries Kagome to the other side of the snowdrift and grabs her sleeping bag out of her back pack to wrap her in.
"Shippou, use your Kitsune Bi!" Miroku instructs as he holds the unconscious Kagome to him. Shippou nods and tries to spark his green fox fire to warm his friend. The small flame erupts and Miroku uses a handful of Ofuda to try holding the spark. Using as much of his body to block the small flame from the wind. Shippou scurries over to the still Kagome and touches her. The ice cold skin chills his freezing fingers and without any response from her, he begins to cry. "Kagome!"
Inuyasha leaps towards Yamase as the mighty youkai pulls out an ice-bladed katana. Tessaiga hits the ice blade and Inuyasha maneuvers out of the way as Yamase swings at him with a stone fist. The youkai appears to be made from an icy mountain. Inuyasha appears the faster until Yamase somehow gets the upper hand and knocks Inuyasha away. The hanyou flies back into a snow drift and quickly gets up again. He underestimated this youkai's speed. He feels a pain at his lip but ignores it as he sees Yamase open his mouth and many sharp icicles appear clustered in his jaws. Inuyasha prepared for the attack as the icicles shoot out of Yamase's mouth towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha dodges them easily and runs towards Yamase swinging Tessaiga violently. He shatters the ice katana that Yamase tries to block with and slashes at Yamase's armor. Several gashes occur in the frozen metal breast plate before the hanyou gives one last mighty blow knocking Yamase down. Inuyasha leaps back satisfied and watches the great youkai fall. He suddenly feels a slight pain in his left shoulder and sees an icicle there. He did not realize until now that one had hit him.
"Keh," he spats as he pulls out the shard of ice and tosses it aside. Yamase rises and chuckles to him self pleased.
"What the fuck are you laughing about?" Inuyasha asks wiping the blood away on his lip from when Yamase knocked him down, before it froze there.
"You removed my tsurara," Yamase bellows as he picks up the hilt of his broken sword and he blows on it. His icy breath on the blade reforms it to its original state. "My Toushoudokuso will be taking affect shortly."
"Toushoudokuso!" Inuyasha states slightly alarmed as he feels the wound where the icicle was suddenly go very cold and numb. Yamase starts laughing louder.
"Soon you will freeze from the inside out!"
"Damn it!" Inuyasha curses as he feels the toxin enter and freeze his blood stream slowly. He looks up at Tessaiga and despite the wind spell that Kagura keeps blowing he could still smell the wind scar on the blade. He smirks realizing he may only get one chance before he can no longer feel his arms.
"We shall see who has the last laugh," he smirks and raises the massive katana above his head.
"Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha yells as he smashes Tessaiga into the ground. The powerful force erupts towards the youkai. Yamase continues to chuckle unnerving Inuyasha as he awaits the attack to hit its mark.
Yamase suddenly crouches and puts his arm before him as a shield. Unexpectedly a sheet of ice forms before him blocking his entire body. Inuyasha was unsure in the youkai's motives but felt confident in the wind scar's attack. The sheet of ice shines in the dim light as the wind scar hits it.
"Nani?" Inuyasha exclaims as the sheet of ice reflects the wind scar back at Inuyasha. Inuyasha turns to leap out of the way but realizes he can not move very well, his blood was chilled and his limps ached at every movement. He did not realize how quickly the toxin was spreading. He looks up at the blast returning to him and sees he has no way of getting out of its path.
...End Chapter