With the quiet of winter falling upon them, Kagome, Shippo and even L ink settled themselves by the fire. Only shortly did Link return to the cottage. Expecting some explanations, he was surprised to find both of his new companions settled on the floor playing a card game.
After a while of toying around in the basement, Zubora returned and joined Gabora for a drink of tea at the table. Both men seemed out of sorts as their expressions, or mostly Zubora's, were weary. During the long wait, Zubora bounced his leg repeatedly. It was obvious he was wary of the monster somewhere outside.
"Yeah!" Kagome shouted, causing all the males in the room to jump with a start. "I win!"
Shippo threw his cards down in defeat, and a frown marred his face. "I thought I had you this time!"
Curious, Link examined both occupants from his place against the wall. His eyes fell upon the small pieces of paper they held in their hands. When he looked closer, he noticed writing and pictures on those cards.
Pleased that she won again, Kagome gathered up all the cards and began shuffling them with expertise. "What shall we play next?"
"What else can you do with them?" the fox child asked as he watched her take two cards from the deck.
"Well," She began and placed the cards onto the floor, shaping them into a tent, with each leaning on the other for support. After that, she made a wall around the tent.
All the while, Shippo was amazed. "What are you making?"
"A fortress!" Kagome explained. "It takes time and lots of patience. Just the slightest of movements can cause this fortress to fall."
Taking some cards from the same deck, Shippo worked on his own little tent. After a few futile attempts at making the wall, Shippo huffed and the beginning of his fortress fell. "I can't do it!"
Stroking his red hair, Kagome softly said, "It takes a lot of time, but once you get the hang of it, it'll come easily."
Even Gabora joined Kagome and Shippo on the floor, along with Zubora, who had nothing better to do.
"What's this now?" Zubora asked as he eyed the cards. He studied one particular card curiously.
"A game!" The priestess explained. "Hey, that gives me an idea… Wanna play war?" Noticing the confusion amongst them, she began explaining the entire game. It wasn't long before everyone battled against the other. Except Link.
"Beat that! No one can beat my ace!" Shippo exclaimed with triumph.
Zubora, who had been calculating each of the numbered cards, drew his from his small deck before placing it beside Shippo's. "It seems we have both aces?"
Seeing this, Kagome gasped. "This means war!"
Shippo narrowed his green eyes at the man in front of him. "You won't win so easily!"
"Oh really?" he arched a dark brow at the kid's spunk.
Seeing the sparks fly between the two, Kagome explained to Zubora. "Now, when you have both of the same numbers, you then draw three cards from you deck and place them face down. Then you pick out one card from the deck and place it face up. That card will decide who keeps what's left between the two of you."
"Very well. Let's begin!" Zubora declared, and he placed three cards face down and watched Shippo mimic him.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Shippo reached for his card. 'I have to win!'
Of course, Zubora didn't seem the least bit worried. He was winning. The only players left were him and Shippo, and the tyke's deck only contained one card. Both Kagome and Gabora lost a while ago.
"It all comes down to this," Kagome eyed the two. "Shippo seems determined to win, but Zubora seems confident since his deck is larger. But Shippo could turn this game around with one card. Who will win?"
"Prepare yourself!" Shippo warned as he threw down his card.
Zubora laughed. "Already have!" His card met his, and he gave a cry of victory.
A gasp escaped the entire group seated on the floor, and Link could not help but stare at them. They were all getting worked up over a simple game involving paper called cards. Was it really that fun? Shippo, from what he saw, was glaring at the owner of the house, and Kagome was doing her best to console the demon.
"Link!" The young girl called. "Come play with us!"
Link arched a brow. She wanted him to play? Why would he do that? Weren't they the least bit worried about the monster lurking somewhere outside? Why were they fooling around when they could prepare themselves for a surprise attack?
He turned his gaze toward the window. 'What's taking them so long? They should have been back hours ago.' He thought it was strange, even if they were strangers to this world; it wasn't difficult to miss the Goron village, unless they ran into trouble along the way.
"Why aren't Inuyasha and Miroku and Sango back yet?" Shippo asked, answering Link's thoughts.
Kagome sighed. "I'm sure they're on their way."
"But," Shippo turned his gaze out the window. "The sun is already going down. They've been gone for too long to slay a monster!"
Shippo spoke the truth. Inuyasha and the others should have returned long ago. Sure, she didn't want to believe it, but it worried her just the same. What was taking them so long?
A mighty wind blew in suddenly, and the door slammed open. Alarmed by the event, Zubora quickly went to shut it, only to scream the moment he went to grab the knob. Filled with fear to the highest, Zubora stood frozen as a shadow towered before him.
Link, who had heard the door open and the scream escape from the smith's mouth, stood ready for action with his sword drawn. Somehow, I knew this would happen…
Quick to react, Gabora grabbed his friend and hauled him into the cellar, along with himself. There was just no way that he would stand in the line of fire and bloodshed.
"It's the monster!" Shippo cried from behind the priestess's leg.
The moment the monster crashed into the room, tearing the door from its hinges, everyone stood with trepidation rolling off them in waves. Dark eyes with red slits stared back. This beast's fur was black. Almost mistaken for horns, its ears were long and curved with a point. It bared its jagged long teeth at them.
If Kagome were any ordinary schoolgirl, she knew she would have run moments ago, but she wasn't. Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, and the keeper of the sacred jewel which she wore around her neck secretly from evil eyes. No, it was Kagome's sworn duty to protect the weak, no matter what the costs. Though sometimes she wondered if there was a limit; this monster being an example.
Raising its arm in the air, its claws came crashing down toward three. Unfortunately for it, everyone moved away in time. Tables fell apart the moment its claws made impact, and chairs went scattering.
"Take this!" Kagome aimed and her arrow hit the beast in the right shoulder, effectively injuring it. The light that surrounded her arrow pierced through its right shoulder, deteriorating the skin until nothing but bone remained.
Of course, the monster was not pleased about this, and looked at the girl. All at once he charged, and Kagome could do nothing more but watch with terror-filled eyes.
Not fast enough to dodge, a sword intervened, slicing the arm of the monster's straight off. Now standing before the frightened girl, Link handed her his shield, which she took absentmindedly. 'It was just a matter of time. I knew something like this would happen, though why is it so weak?'
Kagome stood there with his shield in hand, watching as he effortlessly attacked the beast. For his age, he was quite nimble with a sword. 'I can't believe this. Link is winning.' Even if she knew better than to look, Kagome could not pull her eyes away from the decapitated arm that lay at her feet. 'How did he do that without getting injured?'
Even Shippo, who had taken to hiding behind one of the upturned tables, could not tear his eyes away from the boy. Though he looked young, he was actually quite skilled with his sword. 'Where did he learn those moves?'
A howl escaped the dark monster, and Link found himself thrown back by its sudden strength. As it was already one arm short, it continued its onslaught. Again and again, one after another, its claws met his sword. With each swipe, it was determined to break the blade, but it proved too strong.
Leaping back, Link dodged another swipe attack. As he stood staring at his opponent from across the room, Link took the time to survey the surroundings. The entire room was wrecked; books were scattered and weapons in a disarray. He noticed Shippo cowering from behind a table and Kagome stood a couple of feet from him.
"What's wrong with you? Get back or you'll get killed!" Serena's voice shouted from the farthest side of the room.
"Serena?" Kagome called. "No way, I have to help!" Reaching for another arrow, the priestess ignored the warnings from the fairy and the cry from Shippo as she notched her arrow. Aiming true, the arrow flew past the monster's head and she gaped. "What? I missed?" Before she could reach for another, a loud howl erupted.
Shippo's voice suddenly rang out, "Kagome! Watch out!"
Distracted, Kagome watched helplessly as the beast charged toward her. Its eyes burned with incredible rage. Her bow and arrow fell from her hands, and she could do nothing more than wait for the strike. She suddenly screamed. Not just any scream, the scream. The scream one would hear if they were watching a horror movie. Not a moment later, she found herself thrown to the ground and wetness upon her neck. Stunned that she may have been attacked, she opened her eyes only to gasp when she realized it was not her blood but…
"Link!" Shippo called. "Watch out!" Of course, the warning came too late and Link found himself thrown across the room. His back met the wall with a loud crack before sliding down onto his knees.
A startled gasp escaped the girl. "Oh no!" She turned her eyes back to the beast, realizing it now stood above her. Eyes widened in fear, Kagome crawled away in sheer panic. Both her bow and arrows were on the other side of the room.
"Kagome!" A familiar voice rang out.
Looking up from her place on the floor, Kagome's eyes brightened. Here she had thought something might have happened to him, but he was okay. "Inuyasha!"
Sango and Miroku also entered the room. They were worried. Their eyes were drawn to the beast that stood rigidly in the darkened room. The candles had long since burned out and the stench of blood filled the air.
Startled, Sango gasped. "Link!"
All three of their eyes turned to the boy across the room. There were nasty gashes on his arms and upper torso. Blood fell from his forehead and down his face. From their scrutiny, Link appeared unconscious and mortally wounded.
Returning his eyes back to the beast, Inuyasha gave a loud growl. "Damn you!" Just before he could draw his sword, he realized that something was wrong. "What the?"
A dark purplish light left the mouth of the monster, creating a haze in the room. Before either of the gang knew what to make of it, the vapor shifted and escaped through the open door, leaving the group to stare upon a smaller version of the monster. On closer inspection, they realized it was a white wolf. Instead of standing like it had a moment before the haze left its body, it now laid on the floor with a sword pierced through its head.
"I-is it dead?" Shippo asked.
"Yeah… it's dead alright," Miroku explained as he pulled out a sutra from his pocket. Placing it upon the wolf, he began praying for the soul to depart peacefully.
With worry, Kagome hurried over to Link's still form against the wall. "Link?" She wiped the blood from his mouth and softly patted his cheek. When he refused to wake, it only furthered her fear. "Guys, he won't wake up!"
The door to the cellar slowly opened just a crack. Realizing that the worst was over, Zubora and Gabora opened the door and joined the rest.
Appalled that his entire house was in shambles, Zubora was about to explode, but he realized that something was amiss. From where he stood, he noticed the group gathered around an unmoving form, leaned against the wall soaked with blood. "Oh my… Gabora, fetch some hot water and rags!"