Disclaimer: I wonder how many times I have to clearly state that I am not the owner of Inuyasha and that it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, and Viz Cheese- I mean Viz Communications.

Author's Note: Well, I've had the idea for this chapter since the beginning of their story, but I never actually figured out the sequential events.

Sorry this didn't turn out much longer than the last. I really thought it was going to be longer.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

Translations:

Abunai (Ah-boo-nye): Look out!

Itai (ih-tye): Ow!

Kami-sama (Kah-mee-sah-mah): God

Chapter 13, The Dragon and the River

A small band of men followed the mountain trail carefully as it wound between the barren northern peaks. . In their midst, a young woman. She walked along quietly, tuning out the men's boisterous conversation. She ran a hand through her dark hair, letting its crimson undertones sparkle in the sun. There was no wind this day and despite their tireless search, her icy eyes perceived no life stirring on the barren landscape. Something was going to happen, something big.

Suddenly, the mountains shook in their foundations. The men came to an uneasy halt around her, their hands coming to the hilts of their swords. The woman stopped at once, snapping her beautiful face up to look at the higher peaks.

"Scar-Scarlet-san," one of the men said. His tone was anxious. "What's going on?"

Scarlet didn't answer; she was straining to peer through the veil of clouds that cut the sun off from the high peaks. Within them, something stirred. Scarlet narrowed her eyes, pushing her already overly keen eyesight to its limits. Then, she saw a flash of blue light peaking through the haze. "Kami-sama" she said in a hushed voice. "What has he done?"

The earth shook again.

"Itai!" Scarlet exclaimed as a small rock hit her arm. She clutched the limb. Then, she heard a crash overhead. Slowly, she raised her eyes. The boulder was already falling. With a gasp, she did her best to tumble out of the way. She was too late. The boulder landed with a sickening noise on her ankle. Scarlet barked as pain seared up her leg.

"Scarlet-san!" one of the men cried, running over to her. He was immediately swept over the edge by another boulder.

The rest of the men hesitated, then sprinted to her side. They pushed the boulder free, exposing Scarlet's bruised and deformed ankle. She winced as she saw the mutilated appendage.

All at once, a shiver rocketed up Scarlet's back. She spun around just in time to see a dark form explode from the haze around the high peaks. "Run!" Scarlet screamed, her voice cracking with the force. The men looked around at her wildly. "You fools, just go! Run, or you'll all be killed! RUN!"

The men looked again at the giant shape that was now slinking across the sky. As its mass blocked out the sun, their faces went deathly pale. One grabbed his sword and hollered at it.

"No!" Scarlet cried, spinning around to face him. "You fool!" The whole earth jerked violently now, knocking the men to their knees. A crack emerged on the mountain trail.

The dark form's head twisted, and one catlike golden eye fell to the man who had hollered.

The men gasped, realizing too late what the creature was.

A deep growl of satisfaction rumbled from within the dragon's chest. "Ah, my first meal," he said, his voice shaking boulders off the summit.

Scarlet was white now. "Run! GET OUT OF HERE!" she shrieked.

Without a second thought to the injured woman, the men turned and sprinted down the peak. Scarlet watched them for a moment, then turned to see the dragon arching down towards her.

When his snout was only twenty feet away, the dragon stopped. His blue scales shone luminously in the sunlight. His face was wizened and aged, and twisted with evil. A sickly smile spread across his face, exposing his thousands of large fangs. His golden eyes were focused on the small woman on the mountain trail.

Then, a dark form detached himself from the dragon's back. He fell towards the earth, and Scarlet found herself wishing terribly that he would dash himself against the rocks. However, the creature landed effortlessly on the trail, and turned to face Scarlet with a cool expression on his face.

"Naraku," Scarlet snarled in recognition.

"Scarlet," he cooed, "It's been a long time."

Scarlet glared up at the demon coldly.

-

As Miroku and Sango neared the Northern Range, the air grew more and more frigid. It was sunny, and they avoided shadows so they could allow the warm sunlight to hit them. For the most part, the snow had melted. It lingered now in small patches in shaded areas. Frost still glimmered on the grasses like tiny crystals. They could see their breath cloud the air in front of them.

There were no words exchanged. Early that day, before the sun had even unfurled itself from the milky twilight, Miroku had awoken without her. He had picked his way through the dark to the hill, and then taken down the bodies. He had provided a proper burial for each. Sango was deeply hurt. It was her fault that the village had been massacred. It had been her duty to bury them. But Miroku had done it for her. Her honor was blemished.

Miroku walked quietly in front of her. He seemed content to just watch the road. Once before, they had found a budding sakura tree. He had paused to examine a small bud, but had continued when Sango called out to him. She wondered at the strangeness of his behavior.

As they neared the forest at the base of the mountains, their sighting of villages became less and less frequent. Several times, Sango felt a presence watching her from the shadows. She did not mention it to Miroku, but it was a weight on her conscious thought. It kept following her, then slipping away when she tried to face it. She knew it was black, dark, and it reeked of fear. Her stomach knotted uncomfortably.

It was late afternoon when the tremors came. Miroku froze in his tracks, and Sango fell into him, throwing her arms around his broad chest. With a cacophony of noise, the birds exploded from the trees and began to flee south, away from the mountains. As quickly as she had grabbed Miroku, Sango released him again.

They were in the forest now, and a river gurgled before them. They had been following it north, as the road had turned west at the river.

Another tremor came, this one knocking an old spruce from its foundations. It crashed into the river, barely missing Sango. It knocked the two of them clear off their feet.

"What's going on!" Sango moaned.

Miroku shook his head and turned his amethyst eyes to the Northern Range. There were clouds shielding the higher peaks, but her could sense something moving within them. Then, as he watched, something exploded from the haze.

Sango and Miroku gasped in unison. Throughout their lives-painted on tables, paper walls, and all imaginable paraphernalia- the image of this mighty creature had surrounded them. It was a dragon.

"Sango" Miroku breathed, his voice harsh with disbelief. "We've got to run."

Sango nodded slowly. "But to where? The way back is blocked by that tree!"

The earth shook one more time. The two royal teens watched as the dragon arched its huge mass down to the mountain. It paused there a moment, and then turned south. Miroku felt the creature's golden gaze as it perceived him; it felt as though a spear had just been thrust through his heart. Behind him, he could feel Sango shaking. Miroku could feel the dragon smile, although he could not see it. Then, the dragon dove to the ground, slipping out of Miroku's field of vision.

They stood frozen for a few moments.

Miroku frowned and looked at the river. "We should cross it and then flee south. I have a feeling that dragon isn't going to leave us be."

Sango nodded, her voice lost to fear.

Miroku pulled her to her feet, and then turned to face the river. It was broad and a little swift, but there were stepping stones jutting out of the water. "We'll cross here," he decided, not willing to travel any further north. He tried to remain as calm-appearing as possible, though the memory of the dragon's gaze still shook him. His amethyst eyes careened to Sango's pale face. "You should cross first."

With a nod, Sango walked to the river's edge. Picking up her houshi robes daintily, she jumped onto the first stone. Miroku was holding his breath, his eyes darting between the forest north and Sango's crossing. Sango leapt to the second stone, but it was wet. She pitched forward dangerously, and Miroku forgot about the dragon, focusing on the princess. "Sango! Abunai!" he exclaimed.

But the princess had already steadied herself. She looked back at him and smiled shakily to show she was alright. Then, she made her way to the third stone, and then the forth. She was in the middle of the river now.

That was when Miroku heard the rumbling. At first, he ignored it, his attention riveted on Sango's supple form. It wasn't until the sound was booming in his ears that he remembered the dragon. At the same moment, he and Sango looked upriver.

Sango screamed. The water was surging like a tidal wave, and it was headed right for her.

"SANGO!" Miroku shouted, jumping out onto the first stone.

Sango looked to the western bank, and then to the eastern, where Miroku was struggling toward her. Making a swift decision, she leapt toward the monk. Back onto the third stone. They met on the second, grabbing one another. The tidal wave hit them.

Miroku churned water, beating his way to the surface. Sango's wrist was clasped firmly in his palm. They were spinning wildly, and for a moment, Miroku thought that perhaps he was swimming down instead of up. They surfaced, gasping for air.

They were moving swiftly downstream, completely carried by the ferocious current. Everything was a blur of motion and the thunder of the water. Debris was all around, and they kept knocking into it. The water was white with rage, and kept diving into their mouths when they tried to breathe. Their robes were heavy, and they were constantly being pulled under water. Miroku tried to swim to the west bank, but was finding the effort futile. They couldn't escape the wild river.

Suddenly, a huge log hit Miroku hard on the back on his head. His vision blurred as his head lurched forward. His whole body went numb. He heard Sango's scream, and it ripped him from the unconsciousness he was fast diving into.

She was already a fair distance farther downstream. "Houshi-sama!" she wailed, struggling to keep her head above water. "Houshi-sama!" One arm was extended to him.

Miroku reached for the pale limb, but his fingers slipped as he was pulled under. When he resurfaced, the princess was gone.

-

Sango's dark eyes fluttered open. She was on land, she knew, but she could still feel the water beating mercilessly against her body. She could feel the sting of so many cuts and bruises covering her. Her robes were in disarray. Slowly, and without getting up, she examined her surroundings.

She was in the forest, in a small clearing. Beside her, a fire roared. Miroku was no where in sight. Across from her, a feminine form sat tied to a tree. Her head was bowed and her dark hair, which was slipping free from its confines, shone crimson in the light. A small trickle of blood was dried against her forehead. Sango recognized her immediately.

It was Scarlet.

-

Miroku pulled himself free of the water. He threw himself onto the bank, and a series of harsh coughs freed water and vomit from his body. His face ashen, he dragged himself further from the water, using the grasses as a lever. It was night now, and the air was arctic. If he stayed outside in wet clothes, he knew he was going to die.

Suddenly, he spotted something through the trees. He barked in surprise and struggled towards it on his hands and knees. It was a small hut, he realized as he grew near. Unconsciousness bubbled up temptingly behind his eyelids. With a shout for help, he collapsed.

- Ichimu

This is not as much of a cliffy as it could have been, mind you. Please review!