Crusade Against the Moon

Chapter Six : Corpse Grotto

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor the characters from the show.

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"Aahhh," the creature sighed, the smoke picking up around him, growing thick and hard to see through despite the moon shining down on him. The dark leaves close by slapped against each other as he dropped his hand to hang before him again. "Wee are at oooddsss," it decided, looking only slightly miffed before smirking again. "Pityyy." His voice broke into three again, leaves detached from creaking branches and swirled around him, engulfing themselves into the black smoke surrounding the preteen warrior.

Soon, only his cheshire grin could be seen, glistening in the darkness until he completely disappeared into thin air. "We shaaall meet, againn."

And in a cloud of smoke, Kohaku was gone.

Kagome was the first to recover. She stood confidently, her sight focused to the place Kohaku last stood, and a hand on her bow as she flicked a loose slice of wood with the tip of her nail. The night thundered around them and she felt the rain drops pick up to a light drizzle. "Can you still scent him?"

Slightly defeated, Inuyasha turned to her, "yeah." He eyed her stance and quickly grew weary. "Shit, Kagome. What the hell are you thinking?"

"Let's go after him."

"And do what?" He complained. "The brat's too fast. And it's not like I could hurt him. One scratch and Sango'll kill me." He crossed his arms as the gears in his head spun. They'd have to find some way to get Kohaku with out Inuyasha having to give up his own body.

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha could really be so dense sometimes. "You don't have to do anything, just take me to him."

He squinted an eye at her suspiciously, "what are you planning?"

Taking one of his sleeves, Kagome shook his arm lightly, she wiped the rain off her brow with the other. "Inuyasha!" She cried out, clearly aggravated, "I'll tell you on the way! Let's go before we lose him!"

"Keh," he turned his arm in a swift movement and grabbed her wrist, pulling her behind him as he followed the kid in a light jog, "grumpy woman," he grumbled.

It didn't take long for the ground to get all soft and squishy from the rain, drenching Kagome's feet and ruining her only pair of shoes from the future. She mourned their loss silently, but worried more about how uncomfortable her feet were instead. They were sliding loosely, making the tips of her toes press almost painfully against them with each step she took. She entertained the idea of just kicking them off, but she knew she'd regret it. The delicate skin of her feet would snag and cut on the rough terrain, catching on fallen twigs and scraping against stone. It was not worth it.

"So," Inuyasha said, eyes still trained ahead, his hair looked slightly blue in the darkness, "spit it out."

Keeping pace, Kagome's feet fell in synchrony with his own. His hand slid from her wrist to hers, and she tried to catch his eye but failed. "I'll just use my arrow".

"The fuh-!" He came to a standstill, and she smashed into his back, squeaking from the impact.

Aggravated, she pushed away from him and sent him a peeved look. "Mind warning me next time?!" Then quickly realized he was looking at her like she'd gone crazy? "What?" She asked apprehensively.

"You can't shoot the kid, Kagome!"

"I'm not going to shoot him!" She threw her arms up, exasperated, "what ever made you - ?" Then sighed, and tried not to laugh in his face. She would never willingly shoot Kohaku, even with a regular arrow, it could seriously wound him. She schooled her features and elaborated, smiling fondly at his perplexed expression. "When the Enenra attacked you at the village -"

"Enenra?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"What the hell is that?"

"That thing," she waved in the direction Kohaku had run off to, "that's what it's called."

"Oh." He seemed almost thoughtful. "When'd you figure that?"

She shrugged, "while we were at the village. I remembered reading about it back home."

"So do you know how to kill it?"

Kagome shook her head, noticing how Inuyasha deflated before her. "But after it attacked you, I ran it off with my arrow," she reminded him, brushing her wet bangs from her brow. "So, I was thinking."

"Dangerous," he concluded with a cross of his arms, "but go on."

She gave him a look before rolling her eyes. "Part of it had disintegrated, so maybe if I shoot around Kohaku, I can force the Enenra out of his body."

Surprised, Kagome watched Inuyasha's whole demeanor soften before her. His eyes got that very sublime honeyed look that she loved, making butterflies blossom in her stomach and flutter to her heart.

Thunder roared around them, lighting everything up and catching Inuyasha's striking features. Kagome admired him quietly as she blinked away the rain. It was falling something fierce, drenching them to their bones. It came out of no where and caught them completely off guard.

He reached out slowly, cupping her face and brushing the wet stringy hair from her cheeks - which she was sure had to be burning the pads of his thumbs by now. A shiver crawled up her spine and he smirked, making her eyes fall to his lips. She was reminded of the cliché movies she'd seen, where the star struck lovers kissed in the rain. But this wasn't a movie, and the man she loved had delicate but deadly claws tickling the sides of her face. No, she thought, this was much better than a movie.

"You're gonna get sick," he said regretfully, feeling guilty for running around in the rain with her. Her hair was getting flatter each second, her cheeks shiny, and her clothes heavy.

She shrugged, observing how his bangs bunched and plastered randomly on his forehead like wet paper. She could get over a little cold.

Inuyasha clucked his tongue, "you're as stubborn as a dog."

She laughed, raising her eyebrows for effect "you would know, wouldn't you."

He chuckled, shaking his head and missing the way she was watching him.

Kagome decided she was a very lucky woman. Inuyasha'd been smiling a lot lately, especially when they were alone.

His smile lingered, and his hands trailed down to her own, "let's go," he said, pulling her from the moment, and she tried not to be disappointed. In a matter of seconds, his pace picked up, and she couldn't help the grin stretching her face. She struggled to keep up. The ground sloshed and smushed beneath her feet. Inuyasha glanced back, making sure she was okay before he let go.

"Hey!" She protested.

"Hurry up!" He turned in front of her, surprising her with his agility, although she really shouldn't have been amazed.

"You're cheating!" She realized, reaching out to him and snatching at the air like a claw, but missed. She laughed as he turned with a swivel of one foot to run backwards. His hair wrapping around him as his steps changed, he pushed slightly harder to catch more air before gliding back down. Using barely any effort, he reached his arms out and pushed away soggy leaves, keeping a clear path for her to run in. Good thing too, because it was just getting too dark.

"Come on, Kagome," he turned from her with a smirk, fang glistening from his lopsided grin, "you're a lot slower than I remembered!" He picked up his speed for emphasis.

"You jerk!" She hollered behind him, short of breath as they wined around impressively sized trees. "I should si-"

"I knew it!" He cut her off with a holler. Turning mirthfully, he reached a hand out to her. "You are a sore loser!" Kagome tried to grab him, relieved for his support, only to have him pull away at the last second. Shocked, she faltered and almost tripped, squealing and flailing as she barely found her footing on the wet ground. When she looked back up, she was surprised to see him more than a couple yards away.

Exasperated, her face fell and burned with embarrassment. Her breaths came out short, and she cursed herself for not staying in shape while she'd been gone. She stomped her foot and immediately regretted it when mud splashed up her leg. "Really?!" The rain was loud in her ears and had no signs of stopping. She was absolutely drenched. Thunder rolled above her and only helped in dampening her souring mood. "Three whole years, and this is how you treat me?!"

She waited for him to do something, but he just stood there and watched her, a content look on his face. She almost felt bad for thinking how much she really wanted to wipe it off him. She still hadn't sat him since she'd returned, and it would be a shame to see his pretty silver hair all dirty with mud. She glanced down at her grimy leg ruefully. She needed a bath.

A tickle in her nose had her face contorting. So she quickly pressed her nostrils for the sneeze to go away.

"Damn it." Inuyasha's dirty toes came into view, and she was secretly happy that she wasn't the only one filthy around here. Rubbing her nose before looking back up at him, she was not surprised to find him draping his haori around her.

"How sweet of you," she mumbled sarcastically. She wanted him to feel guilty, but by the look on his face she figured he was taking it a bit to heart. So she smiled sheepishly, then dashed away from him. She heard him holler after her, but ignored him and kept going.

It was hard running in the dark. The trees melded together, branches snagged at her hair and arms, but she wouldn't let that deter her. She finally had the upper hand. 'That cocky dog,' she thought, smirking to herself triumphantly. She had no doubt he'd catch up, and she turned her head to see what was taking him. Hissing, she quickly found that wasn't the smartest decision as her foot hit an upturned root. Pain sprang up her leg, she felt her body lift, and she braced herself as the ground rushed up to meet her.

He was smooth, too smooth in the way he caught her, in the way he lifted her back up with an arm under her knees and back. "Idiot," he grumbled out, "you're clumsier then I remembered."

Kagome smiled, wrapping her arms around Inuyasha's neck and pulled herself close to him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Keh."

He continued running, and she took her time catching her breath as she relished in his musky pine forest scent. She didn't know if it was the adrenaline, or the chase, or the fact that she'd missed him terribly - and in someways still did - but he was so close, and her lips only a breath away from his neck. She was sure he could feel her breathing. She swallowed hard. What if she kissed him? How would he take it? She had kissed his jaw earlier, but on the neck? That was way more intimate, too intimate, in a way they had never been before. Would he care? Would it really be that bad?

Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and laid her cheek against his wet skin instead, the corners of her mouth caught his neck ever so slightly. His arms tightened around her, bringing her body closer, and she took that as a good sign. With a soft sigh, she reveled in the way he held her. So safe and secure and warm.

"There's a cave around here somewhere," he said.

"What about Kohaku?" Her body grew more comfortable against him.

"Lost his trail a while ago," he admitted. "The rain washed it out."

"Oh," she nodded, "okay then, let's go."

Kagome didn't know how much time it took getting there. It felt too short and too long all the same. Inuyasha slowed his run to a jog and took one last leap, passing several yards before gliding inside. Landing gracefully on his feet, he crouched low, loosening his arms so Kagome could turn and place her ruined shoes to the ground.

Stretching her legs, she stood and looked around, rubbing the fire-rat fur on her arms. "It's dark," she observed, the moon emitting a soft blue glow at the opening but that's it. A quick shiver passed through her body, "and cold." The mouth of the cave was a decent size, it grew gradually wider the deeper it went. It was damp and too dark to see much else. She could feel the spray of the rain as it pattered behind her.

Inuyasha straightened and snorted at her rather obvious comment. It was cold and dark, but the effects didn't hinder him as much as it did her. "There's no helpin' it. We'll wait here 'till it passes."

She turned and gave him a speculative eye, "you really think this will pass soon?"

"Dunno," he shrugged.

Sighing, she rubbed her arms again and realized she couldn't even lean on the cave walls unless she wanted to wet her clothes further. "And if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll leave." Simple as that.

Standing there in the cold, trembling like a tiny chihuahua, a sudden wave of misery hit her. They'd lost track of Kohaku, and Sango was back at the village no doubt suffering her brother's loss. They'd failed her, and she felt pathetic. She sighed, wallowing in her newfound grief when she heard Inuyasha huff beside her. Blowing air out of his nose much like a dog would after a sneeze. "Are you getting sick?"

"No." He scrunched his eyes at her, slightly insulted that she'd think a little bad weather would ail him. "It's this rain," he complained, rubbing his nose, "all I smell is water and this damn cave."

Concerned, she watched him work his nose pink, then grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the entrance. "Come on, then. The rain was getting me there too."

Inuyasha followed her, pausing mid rub as he eyed the back of her head. It was getting dark in there for him too. The silhouette of her hair blended almost perfectly in the shadows. His gaze lowered to their joined hands, something they'd been doing a lot lately, and a warmth spread pleasantly through his chest.

He squeezed her cold hand, finding her lowered temperature slightly alarming. The rain was still bothering his nose, the cave still stunk something dank, and he could barely smell her sweet fragrance. Furrowing his brow, he pulled her back towards him, a soft gasp escaping her lips as he wrapped his arms around her.

His name left her in a whisper.

Pulling her close, he shut his eyes and pressed his face to the nape of her neck. Concentrating on her scent alone. He inhaled deeply, sifting through the sweat, dirt, and smoke that had stuck to her hair, and there he found it, the sweet scent of jasmine. "You're freezing," he commented, using that as the excuse for holding her.

"I am," she whispered through a shiver, relishing in the warmth he provided. She allowed herself to stop thinking. There was nothing to be done about Kohaku now, it couldn't be helped. Instead, she concentrated on the arms wrapped around her body, the almost soothing sound of the pouring rain, the shutter of thunder that spread through the sky, the way Inuyasha's chest pressed up behind her, and the way his wet nose pushed against the side of her throat, almost like he was trying to breathe her in – wait. "Inuyasha," she protested, trying to push him away, but her human arms proved nothing against his.

"Mm?" He held firm, moving with her as she tried to budge, "stop moving."

"Are - are you smelling me?"

"It stinks in here," he complained, "too many smells."

"I smell!" Kagome protested, mortified that he was quite literally breathing her scent in like oxygen. Getting a sudden rush of strength, she managed to push herself away. Slipping through his clawed hands and falling back sharply to the rough stone. She winced at the ache that rushed up her shoulder. It clinked like bells before shifting down from her weight.

But, cave walls aren't supposed to move.

That's when the stench came, wafting up behind her and rushing into her nose. She gagged, almost regurgitating the rabbit she had for dinner. She tried to move away but the wall kept descending. She was falling.

Frantic hands reached for Inuyasha, her blind eyes wide in the dark. His curse was swallowed by the unexpected gurgling and groaning behind her. What was one moan turned into many. Frightened, she called out his name, a desperate plea as she realized whatever she was falling onto had armored limbs that were suddenly reaching for her.

Shadowed faces came to her peripheral, advancing in quick-jerky movements. Her hair caught on some of the layers on its shoulder, and she winced in pain. It could have been a trick of the shadows, but through its head piece, she swore it had no eyes. A flash of thunder lit the cave, exposing the creatures' rotting flesh, with holes in its cheeks and skin hanging off like ripped meat. She wanted to vomit

The glint of its rusted pointy helmet gave her recognition. Samurai. Dozens upon dozens of them. Lined up in a decaying group of flesh and bones. They'd some how come alive and were moaning and groaning up against each other like morbid penguins, shuffling roughly to her direction.

She slipped through all the creatures, their broken features illuminated by the lighting. With each flash she saw their broken noses, missing teeth, and splotchy skin. She hit the ground hard and their voices seemed to get louder. It was all she could see, all she could hear.

All at once they bent over her, reaching down with their cracked yellow nails.

Struggling, she tried pushing them away. But there were too many. All she could see were shielded legs, hungry faces, and rotting arms rushing down to her. Claustrophobia hit her hard, and her breathing came short and fast, she struggled like a fish out of water, but it just wasn't enough. She felt like she was dying.

So she opened her mouth and screamed.

(A/N)

By the way, while writing the Enenra, I was inspired by Petyr Baelish's voice from Game of Thrones. All soft, creepy, and very annoying, lol. Little Finger makes my skin crawl!

Which parts did you like? Thanks for reading!

~Rubella