Pro tip - always test your tent fly before going camping. We discovered our fly was as waterproof as a tissue paper right there at the top of the mountain pass and had to sleep in puddles all the rest of the trip… not fun.

The Call

~ Kitty

Chapter 6: Thrive in the Suck

…

"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fool"

― John Muir

She woke to a tap, tap, tap and for a little while, she lay there wondering how long it had been raining. The air seemed wet and heavy around her face and a crunching outside told her her companions were up and about already. Tap, tap, tap. And then she realized that the tapping was not coming from outside.

Tap, tap, tap.

Something was hitting her sleeping bag.

Sitting up with a groan, Kagome's sleepy eyes slowly came to focus on the dark little puddle growing at the foot of her bag.

"Shit!"

She looked up, noting that there was a sagging puddle dripping from the top of her tent and now she glanced around, grateful that at least the water hadn't completely penetrated her layers to freeze her with the cold mountain water. Her movements inadvertently disturbed the sides of her tent and the entire floating puddle came pouring down on her.

"Fuck!"

"Kagome?" Sango's concerned voice came from outside, "You alright in there?"

Kagome sighed grumpily to herself before answering her friend. "I'm ok, but my tent is leaking."

"... Well that sucks," Sango replied.

"Ya think?"

Sango watched Kagome's tent sympathetically as the girl inside grumbled and shuffled around before finally poking her head out. Already prepared with a shamwow in hand, she offered it to Kagome, who gratefully accepted before disappearing back into the leaky fabric shelter.

Heavy, gray clouds hung low and ominous over the pass. What was once a grand, sweeping view on both sides was now obstructed by a dense fog. It was disorienting, and when Kagome finally managed to step out onto the wet, rocky ground, she found herself completely turned around, unable to tell which direction they'd come from, and which direction they ought to be heading. This realization brought a concerned frown to her face.

Her eyes glanced around with apprehension before turning to Sango.

"Today is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Indeed it did, and the suck crescendoed gradually. It was difficult to pack up and ready herself for the downhill march, with her sodden belongings clinging to her skin and picking up leaves and dirt and smearing it across her hands and face. The extra water weighed down her load and required extra heaving just to get it onto her back. And it was cold, the chilly mountain wind biting at her fingers and cheeks and nose. The damp air chilled her insides and she was shivering by the time they were ready to start their trek. Inuyasha was sullen and silent throughout preparations. Kagome tried to tell herself it was because of the dreary morning they'd awoken to, but a part of her nagged that it was all her fault for bringing up painful memories that he clearly would rather not broach. He avoided eye contact with her the entire morning and all she saw was the back of his head and his swinging braid trudging away into the mist as they departed their campsite. Kagome worried her lip as she started off after them all, entirely mentally unprepared for the drudgery that lay ahead.

The top of the pass might have been broad and clear, but it didn't take long for them to reencounter the thick, dense bushes of the alders and willows, their leaves slick with rain. Kagome pressed through one, just one small bush, and found her pants completely soaked through where her raincoat couldn't cover. Another step and she was dripping. While water was no longer pouring from overhead, apparently the rain was determined to make their downhill hike as miserable as possible. Mother Nature had a vindictive way of reminding you of your smallness.

The pace was quick, Inuyasha had already disappeared into the fog and Kagome fought to quell the little lump of panic in her throat as she struggled to keep up. Thankful for Sango's and Miroku's brightly colored packs, she somehow managed to keep them in eyeshot until she hit the first boulder field.

Going up the mountain had already been tricky, with teetering boulders that rocked and slid just when she thought she'd found good footing. Going down the mountain was several times harder. She didn't trust her balance, and with the slick wet rain, suddenly every step was treacherous and her companions were beginning to grow faint and small in the distance.

"Sango! Miroku!" She called them desperately, "Hold up!"

Sango turned to wait while Miroku shouted for Inuyasha in the distance. There was a great deal of muffled shouting, arguing, but Kagome couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Just one more step, she began telling herself, just take one more step. The mountain was dotted by bright, happy little flowers, white and blue, that seemed to encourage her and she bit her lower lip as she focused on the downward climb. They were delicate looking little flowers, yet somehow perfectly at home in this hostile terrain and she contemplated the contrast of the fragile, intricate little petals blossoming from such a hardy little plant. Briefly distracted, she missed a step as she admired them.

Kagome yelped when a sudden hand grabbed hold of her arm. He didn't look at her at all as he stabilized her. Just stood mutely beside her as she found better purchase on the slippery rock and moved to step forward.

Seeing that her friend was being assisted, Sango turned again and began to trudge on with Miroku, unaware of the tense, silent atmosphere that had descended between Kagome and Inuyasha. They both silently stewed in grumpy unhappiness while Kagome battled for every forward step she made.

And then, they were in the bushes again, enveloped by the wet, dewy leaves. Inuyasha moved in front of her, satisfied that she could press on on her own, and began to pick up his pace again. In a panic, she grabbed hold of his arm, he was a stabilizing presence, even when he was sulky, and she wanted him nearby to bolster her spirits.

"Wait!" She cried.

He paused and tilted his head to glance backwards. He still didn't meet her eyes.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she said, releasing him, "I just… I just don't want to be left alone."

Grunt.

Kagome sighed a little in relief when he continued to wait, allowing her to move in front of him. She felt immensely better to have a walking companion, and even when Sango and Miroku disappeared briefly in the thick cloud cover, she felt comforted to have the strong, experienced outdoorsman at her back.

They walked in silence for a time, slowly dipping down below the clouds, until they came across a long, wide stretch of dead and dying trees. Kagome stopped short at the sight of it, her eyes round and confused. It was the first time in their travels to see such a large swath of brown dirt with sagging, limp, twisted branches scattered like skeletons across it. In the damp misty morning, the area seemed like a graveyard and sent chills up her spine. She turned to Inuyasha for explanation.

The man beside her stood silent, the wrinkle of a frown being the only suggestion that he felt something for the ruined earth before them. Finally, Kagome tried to ask with a low, quiet voice.

"What happened here?"

She watched his jaws clench, his eyes narrow, and briefly, she thought he'd refuse to answer her. And then his lips moved and his took a breath.

"Global warming," he said, "The permafrost is melting."

From the side, his expression seemed stoic and distant, but his voice was sad as he took in the destruction. Sango and Miroku were lower down and actively exploring the desolation. The bottoms of their pants and boots began collecting little stains of red-brown dirt. There were great sheets of dirty, brown ice exposed for the first time in perhaps millennia. Methane gas rose up from the released, thawing organic matter and reached them, combined with the scent of rot. Kagome wrinkled her nose at the smell of it.

She didn't know what to say about the gouged and rutted land and stayed silent. Eventually, Inuyasha shifted, turning his eyes away from the scene and said softly under his breath.

"Let's get moving."

Finally, the caravan of soaking and tired travelers reached the small river that rushed down into the basin they were seeking. It was a shallow, friendly little stream and Sango and Miroku wasted no time switching to their water shoes and plunging in. River walking was infinitely better than bushwacking, or so they thought.

Kagome found herself in a pickle shortly after setting foot in the river. It was a fast flowing stream, one that cut a deep, narrow path down the steep valley, with boulders and churning white water that no sane person would traverse, to her mind at least. The stream very quickly became a thrashing, violent rapid, careening over rocks and boulders on its way down. Kagome wanted out. But the dense tangle of leaves and branches on either side slanted steeply upward pressed in and forced her to face the rushing water and her forehead furrowed with anxious distress. With the white noise blotting out all other sounds to her ears, her mind found there was only herself and her predicament to focus on, and she struggled to ignore the pounding in her chest as she struggled to move forward without the push of the water toppling her over to drown her. The rock was cold and slippery and her fingers were bruised and raw from scraping against the unforgiving surfaces, trying to find a hand hold that would keep her from falling. There were moments, terrified, where she was sure there was no way to move forward, and that she was stuck there forever clinging to a boulder while the rest of the group disappeared into the distance.

The only thing that kept her moving forward was his presence at her back. Little things, a touch at her elbow, a hand moving into her field of vision to push aside a low hanging branch that was reaching out to snag her. Despite his silence and his more muted demeanor that day, she was infinitely grateful for his help in battling that lively, frightening little river.

It was something she was still learning about the mountains, the rugged wilderness, that ate up the folly of carefree innocence and spat out time and weather hardened creatures of grit and resilience. Never let your guard down. Just as she was beginning to relax, to take braver steps into the white, frothy, rushing water, she suddenly felt herself slipping and a terrified scream tore from her throat as her body began to drop into the freezing water below.

His arm snaked across her stomach faster than humanly possible and she felt him pull her flush against his body. How he managed to pull up, not only her body weight, but maneuver around her pack was a feat she could hardly fathom and it was all she could do to cling to the arm that saved her, gasping.

Turning, she tried to look up into his face, her eyes sparkling as she cheekily spoke to him.

"My hero," she said.

She felt the huff of his snort, the heaving of his chest, more than she heard it and she allowed herself to relax, letting her head roll against his shoulder for a small, relief filled moment.

"Kagome?!" Sango's voice drifted in from a distance, "Kagome, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shouted back, hoping Sango wasn't battling her way upstream to get to her. Despite the awkward positioning, there was a part of her that wanted to extend this little embrace as long as she could. Trying to remind herself about the suspension bridge effect, Kagome sighed and turned to her savior again.

"Thanks," she said to him, her eyes trying to emphasize just how much she meant it, "Really, thanks so much."

It was the first time all day that he met her eyes and there was an emotion there in his handsome face that felt vulnerable and earnest. His cheeks dimpled as the muscles of his face clenched and unclenched and Kagome pondered the turmoil in the gesture fleetingly. His arm released her slowly, waiting until she was firm in her position on the river stones against the rushing water and then, a surprising thing. The hand, rough and calloused, traveled upward, finding her cheek and tugging a slick lock of hair away from her face. She forgot to breath while he moved unchecked over her skin, tucking the damp hair behind her ear. In contrast to the tender gesture, however, the expression on his face surprised her. Haunted, fierce, his eyes bore down on her and straight through her, dilated and wild. The muscles in his jaw were bulging and the hand on her face froze. And then he blinked, the hazel, expressive eyes slowly coming into focus and then finally, he seemed to see her. His lips twitched, his lungs heaved a sigh, his hand dropped. Grunting, he nodded downstream and Kagome, dazed and confused by the play of emotions on his face, turned to carefully continue picking her way down, mentally replaying the bizarre encounter and finding it difficult to recall much beyond the feel of his hands against her skin.

Her cheeks still tingled from the trail his fingers left across her face.

…

Kagome was thoroughly drenched and exhausted by the time Miroku decided to peel off from the river, brave the steep, steep ascent into the thick foliage, and take a much needed break. Sango found a bluff from which they could survey the rest of the distance they'd yet to travel and she called them all over for a hot drink and some fatty, savory snacks.

Kagome stumbled heavily up to the bluff, gratefully dropping her pack and turning into a puddle beside it, panting, not even caring anymore that all her things were likely soaked through and that she was shivering now, from both the cold and her physical exertion. Sango quickly came to her friend, hot tea in hand, and they huddled together, wryly bemoaning what a miserable, sodden day it was with a sarcastic sort of humor. The camaraderie helped.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Miroku called out, a sudden idea hitting his thoughts. Inuyasha braced himself, recognizing the tone of mischief in his ex-roommates voice and not liking it one bit.

"You should lend Kagome your tarp for her tent," Miroku suggested, "Since hers is leaking." Kagome perked up, liking the idea of being dry while Inuyasha glowered at Miroku.

"And where will I sleep?" He all but growled. Kagome frowned, just realizing the dilemma.

"In the tent with Kagome of course!" Miroku said, clearly very satisfied with his clever little plan.

"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed. He was about ready to smack the annoying man across the face. Kagome looked on apprehensively. On the one hand, she would really love to stay dry at night. On the other…

"It is a two person tent," Sango said helpfully, "And it's just a few days."

"Exactly!" Miroku said, leaning in, "C'mon Inuyasha, it's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"I ain't a gentleman," Inuyasha protested weakly while Kagome spoke up as well.

"It's ok, he doesn't have to," she said, "I'll survive…"

It only took one look at the pathetic, soaked, shivering figure for all Inuyasha's protests to vanish into smoke. He deflated quickly, his own stature losing an inch, before grunting and grumbling and moving to regather his gear. Kagome, relieved by the thought of a dry tent, had mixed feelings as Inuyasha once again took up position beside her as the rest readied themselves for the rest of the trek down.

"You really don't have to," Kagome whispered to him, "If you don't want to."

Grunt.

"I… I can use my raincoat to cover most of my things."

Grunt.

"Inuyasha," she paused, turning to grab hold of his arm, "You've really been a huge help already, I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable because of me."

He allowed himself to be held back, his arm feeling warm and tingling at her touch. The hike down the valley had done a number on her. Her hair was damp and plastered to her forehead and cheeks. It was a difficult image to look at, one that sparked memory. So he frowned, and tried his best, his eyes taking in her cheeks, flushed a bright, vibrant red and her slender shoulders shaking and shivering. She looked haggard and exhausted, and the ghost hovering over him reared up to remind him of his murky past. And then he focused on her eyes. The bright, sunny glow that sparkled despite the hardships faced that day. Eyes that stared into his with hope and openness, without accusation or disdain. Kikyou may live close to the surface in his mind but Kagome's clear, bright eyed gaze helped burn away the clouds and keep him in the present. He heaved a sigh, closing his eyes and covering her small hand with his.

"It's ok," he muttered, "Just don't complain if I snore."

It was the right thing to say. Her face lit up into a big wide smile and the sound of her laughter rang out like a bell.

"In exchange for being dry?" she said, her teeth flashing as the wash of relief settled over her, "I could put up with anything!"

Suddenly, she didn't look as if she'd just battled mountain, willow, and river to within an inch of her life and her gate was practically bouncing as they descended back down toward the river.

Things improved dramatically after that. The river gradually leveled out and familiar gravel bars came into view. Soon they were all marching along easily over the even, flat surface. And up in the sky, patches of blue peeked out from the gray clouds and songbirds twittered tentatively as though testing the air to see if the storm had passed for good. The walking was not easy, but they moved quickly and soon they found themselves at a junction in the river, where the little tributary they sought met up with the larger current. Turning, the little troupe began the gentle upward trek to their final campsite at the source of that small, narrow stream.

…

"This way!" Inuyasha shouted. Sango and Miroku were up ahead somewhere, battling the head height alders and bushes. The mostly level landscape had created a marsh and Kagome was beginning to wonder if their day of walking could get any worse. She found herself at the point of exhaustion where she really could only manage the next step forward, and stuck closely behind Inuyasha as her only guide in finding where to place her feet. She glanced at the direction the dark haired man pointed and couldn't even find it within herself to groan at the uphill climb. Further up, however, she saw the forest of spruce and pine and realized he was changing their direction for her benefit. The needles from the evergreen trees kept the forest floor bare and soft, making for far easier walking than they were experiencing at present and Kagome gratefully, but wearily, turned to trudge up the slope. A hand at her elbow helped her keep her balance and soon she found herself moving easily through the forest of straight, rough-barked trunks.

She paused then, for a sigh and to readjust her bearings. Blinking rapidly, she slowly brought her mind to focus on her surroundings, finally appreciating the beauty in that misty forest. The rain from earlier that day had evaporated and then condensed low to the ground and the fog floated amongst the trunks like a magical blanket, toying coyly with the branches, and depositing small, delicate dewdrops on the fine needled leaves. She noticed something then, peering into the grey mist, the sky overhead still dark and heavy with unshed rain. The greens of the forest somehow seemed deeper and richer, the longer she stared, and there was something rich and lush about their mossy surroundings.

And behind her, a young man with a long dark braid found his eyes inexplicably drawn to the dawning wonder sprouting on her face. He was perplexed by her, he couldn't figure out any other way to describe it. He'd seen her whittled to a low point that day, frightened stiff while clinging to a boulder in the rapids, or drenched and shivering as she struggled through the tangled trees and shrubs. But despite all this, to be able to pause in the diffused, waning light of the evening and gape at the looming forest with such open awe, Inuyasha tempered his confusion with a begrudging respect for Kagome's ability to appreciate her present despite her environments hostility. Nature had been an ass to them today, yet she could turn around and gaze back at it so lovingly. And with just a look, she transformed the foggy, gloomy forest into a warm and inviting place and he couldn't help but note a loosening in the tension between his shoulder blades as he shifted, then pressed forward to lead them onward.

The spruce trees ended at a small creek that must have only recently rampaged down the valley and into the larger river, for a massacre of fallen trees lay scattered in the rushing water. Inuyasha gestured to Kagome and pointed upward, toward the sheer cliff they'd stepped out under.

He found himself smiling a soft, gentle smile to see Kagome's eyes widen gradually as she looked in the direction he pointed. Her face opened and her jaw dropped down as her head tilted up. They were near the base of a waterfall and the white, wispy plumes of water careened straight down several hundred feet to wreak havoc on the forest below. Trunks and branches lay scattered in disarray, losing their battle against the powerful force of water on the move. Though wet, they would certainly have enough firewood tonight once they had a stable bed a coals.

"Dinner here then camp in the forest," Inuyasha said simply, picking out a convenient looking patch of gravel and dropping his pack. Sango and Miroku both grunted, weary and relieved to finally be stopping. There was a brief silence before the sound of hysterical laughter bubbled up from behind them.

"You… Oh jeez… haha!" The other three turned to give her funny looks, clearly concerned for her mental state. Kagome was clutching her stomach, swaying and pointing at them and laughing a full belly laugh that had the contents of her pack clanking and jingling. When she glanced up at their confused, stunned faces, it only made her laugh harder.

"Haha! It must be the water, or something," she managed to say, laughing, "Now we know why Inuyasha just grunts all the time!"

The realization dawned on their faces slowly. Sango was the quickest to catch on, her lips twitching before stretching out into a full grin and she began to chuckle herself. Miroku joined in the merriment soon after, shaking his head. Only Inuyasha managed to maintain a straight face, the exasperation painted on it sending the rest into greater fits of laughter. With the look of a parent trying very hard to be patient, he took a long, deep breath, rolling his eyes before letting out a long, beleaguered sigh and turning to his pack to set up his stove. It was only when Sango and Miroku's chuckles tapered down and the couple began to busy themselves with collecting firewood, and Kagome came over to crouch beside him, sharing a bright smile just for him, that he allowed his stoic mask to crack, and he returned her smile, one that reached his eyes and made them shine back at her.

She paused then, struck by the strange peaceful intensity she read in them. Magnetic and warm and transformative. Kagome would look back on this day and have trouble remembering the rigors and the cold, damp struggles she toiled through, only able to recall how wonderfully gentle and intimate the day ended.

…

It was much later that night, with much shuffling and scooting, and the obnoxiously loud, abrupt sound of zippers being slid shut, that Kagome laid down awkwardly beside Inuyasha in her tent. She stared up at the ceiling fabric, hardly able to breath and body tense and stiff. Her eyes darted around while her teeth nibbled her lips.

"Um, goodnight," she said, her voice small and shy.

There was a silence while Inuyasha held back his customary grunt of response.

"Goodnight," he replied, eventually.

They both lay wide awake, the gentle evening light filtering in through the red and brown colored fabric, illuminating the interior with a soft, warm sort of color. Kagome still breathed shallowly, hyper aware of how close their shoulders were in the small space. She could hear him breathing, deep and even, and briefly wondered if he'd already fallen asleep.

"You did good today."

She'd hardly been aware it was possible, but Kagome choked on air when his voice spoke out beside her. She coughed, then turned to look at him. He was staring straight up, eyes determinedly glued to the top of the tent.

"Thanks," she said softly, "You really saved me several times today."

He huffed, probably would have grunted if not for the atmosphere somehow compelling him to be as quiet as possible. His voice dropped down to a whisper as he responded.

"Heh, you need a lot of saving."

Kagome couldn't help the smirk that crept onto her face. She admired his profile, his sharp angles giving him a fierce look.

"C'mon, you don't need to be so smug about it."

"I'm not," he said, "You can call on me any time."

Shifting to lay on her side, bringing her hands below her chin to tuck the fabric of her sleeping bag tighter around her face, Kagome graced him with a soft, grateful smile. Her eyes tried to search his face, both surprised and relieved to find it smooth and relaxed. Whatever cloud she'd pressed over him by her question atop the pass, perhaps the day of rain and toil had beaten the glum out of him. She took a long deep breath, the scent of musk and dirt in the fabric of her clothes and bedding wrapping around her like a nest.

"Thanks," she breathed,

She could only hold the gaze for the briefest of moments, before growing self conscious and glancing down. It gave Inuyasha an opportunity to analyze her face, the endearing way she was cuddled into her sleeping bag and how it pushed up her cheeks. Finally, he sighed, long and deep into his chest, turning again to face the top of the tent and letting his eyes drift closed. He didn't fall asleep right away though, just took on the semblance of sleep while he relived the day in his mind. She'd looked at him with so many different eyes that day. Desperate eyes, frightened eyes, sullen eyes. And then shining, awed, joyful eyes that only seemed brighter for the hardships they faced that day. There was a fortitude in this woman, a kind that Kikyou never had. An ability to flip into happiness with only the slightest of prompts. And the rush he felt, empathetically experiencing her wonder and joy right along with her, he found himself growing addicted to it, using her tendency for positivity to bolster his own. He listened to Kagome relax beside him, her breathing evening out and he listened to it for a good long time. It was a strange bag of mixed feelings he had lying there beside her. Though by now he'd gotten to know Kagome, there was still a part of him that remembered another girl with such a similar face, that had once laid beside him at night. Had it always felt so warm and casual and easy? He wondered to himself late into the early morning. Had it always felt so peaceful? There was something so incredibly soothing about Kagome's gaze. The way it seemed to transform the instant she met his eyes, immediately conveying some kind of great happiness and pleasure to see him. Had he felt the same way when he stared into Kikyou's eyes while they lay in bed together?

He couldn't remember.

And strangely enough, he found, he was beginning not to care.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked!