Well, I'm back from a long Thanksgiving weekend and ready to write again! I spent some time reading some other InuYasha fics, so I am totally inspired. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Disclaimer: Mow the lawn? Check
Feed the pets? Check
Clean the room? Check
Buy InuYasha? I'm working on it…
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Chapter 9: The Cabin
Kagome eyed Sango suspiciously. "A weekend at a cabin in the middle of the mountains? That sounds great…so what's the catch."
Sango's eyes blinked innocently. "The catch Kagome? Whatever are you talking about? Here I am, giving you the chance for a perfect vacation, to get away from a ton of stress, and you start accusing me of LYING and then you think I'm doing something behind you're back and-"
"All right! All right! Jeez." Kagome sighed. "I guess InuYasha's been tricking me so much lately that I've started to expect tricks everywhere." Since Kagome had dressed InuYasha up, he had short sheeted the bed, put rotten milk in her cereal, and set her alarm clock early for three days strait…but she would get him back soon enough. Kagome sighed and finally relaxed for the first time that morning. "Sango, will you forgive me for doubting you? I'm really happy we're going to do this."
"Um…yeah. No problem. Heh heh." Sango only felt mildly guilty as she steered Kagome toward rental car where Rin was waiting. Meanwhile…
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Miroku had far less trouble getting InuYasha to go to the cabin with him. This was partially because InuYasha lay bound and gagged in the back seat. Miroku dusted his hands off as he watched InuYasha struggle a little.
"Don't worry, I'll let you out once we're on the road." InuYasha stared at Miroku then began to struggle even harder. Miroku chuckled and turned around to come face to face with a scowling Sesshoumaru. Not something very nice to see first thing in the morning. Miroku yelped and jumped about a foot.
"What the hell do you think you are doing with my car?" Sesshoumaru had that wonderful way of making every sentence sound like a death threat.
"Umm…borrowing it?" Miroku said uneasily. "You see, we were going to go up to a cabin this weekend, and Sango's going, and Rin's going, and it's really important so you see-"
Miroku trailed off as he realized that Sesshoumaru wasn't paying attention anymore. "Did you say…" Sesshoumaru asked, "that Rin is going?"
"Um…Yes?" Said Miroku, hoping to God that was a good thing.
"Alright then," Sesshoumaru brightened up, "I'll go pack my stuff and we'll be on our way." He sauntered towards the house, but turned back to glare at Miroku one last time. "I'm driving." Miroku collapsed against the car and let out the breath he had been holding. Who would have thought the Sesshoumaru would have a thing for Rin of all people. Cute, in a slightly creepy kind of way. Oh well, at least they had the car.
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"Ooh! Look at all of the snow!" Kagome giggled like the little clichéd schoolgirl she was, and continued to drive up the narrow mountain pass. Sango was reading Something Wicked This Way Comes in the passenger seat (I highly recommend the book by the way!) and Rin was sleeping in the back. Kagome glanced in the rearview mirror, then shifted her gaze back to the road, a little nervously.
"Hey Sango! That car has been behind us for a long time. I think they're following us!" Sango looked up from her book, and glanced back. Oh crap, she thought. It was Sesshoumaru's car. How did they catch up with us so quickly? Sango put down her book and turned to Kagome.
"Kagome…"
"Yup?" Kagome was now attempting to drink hot coffee, drive, and stare at the car behind them all at the same time.
"Miroku and InuYasha are coming to the cabin too." Three things happened at once: Kagome spit out the coffee she had just drank, The car suddenly swerved dangerously on the small and icy road, and Rin screamed and shot awake in the back seat. Kagome finally got the car under control and sat staring ahead, apparently driving in some kind of trance. Sango blinked nervously.
"Kagome?" she waited a little while. "Um…Kagome?"
"Well, she took then news well." Rin said, then settled back into the back seat as soon as she was convinced that they weren't going to drive off the road.
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In the other car, the boys were smart enough to leave InuYasha tied up until he had heard the news.
"Now InuYasha. I am going to tell you where we are going." Miroku smiled engagingly at InuYasha, and spoke softly as if he was talking to a kindergartener. "Now, we're taking you on a little vacation, up to a cabin my family owns." InuYasha seemed to take this information, process it, then accept it. "Sango is going, and Rin is going…" InuYasha still lay in the backseat peacefully, "…and Kagome's going." InuYasha began to thrash around violently, and somehow managed to rip the duct tape binding his hands together in half. He ripped off his gag. "WHAT? Did you just say I am going to have to spend the whole WEEKEND with that BITCH?"
"Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying," said Miroku, still smiling,.
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Both cars arrived at the cabin at the same time. When Rin realized that Sesshoumaru had decided to come, she blushed, then ran into the cabin with Sango to check it out and get dibs on the best room. Sesshoumaru and Miroku started in after the girls, leaving InuYasha and Kagome standing outside.
"Just so you know, I SO did not want to come on this." InuYasha growled at Kagome.
"And you think I wanted to spend an ENTIRE weekend with you? I wouldn't do that if somebody paid me." Kagome sneered back. InuYasha flexed his fists.
"Girl, you're getting on my nerves."
"Right back atcha, dogboy." Kagome laughed as InuYasha's face turned red and he stormed into the small cabin. Maybe this weekend wouldn't be so bad. At least it was a chance for revenge. Kagome laughed again, and followed InuYasha into the house.
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Everyone except Miroku, who was used to it, watched InuYasha with what could only be called morbid fascination as he devoured-no inhaled his food.
"Ugh," Kagome groaned. "It is way too early in the morning to watch this." InuYasha looked up, and smirked when he noticed everyone staring at him. "I think I lost my appetite," said Kagome. Nevertheless, she took another mouthful of the eggs and bacon Sesshoumaru had whipped up, and everyone else went back to eating as well.
"So," started Sango, "I thought that today we should do something fun, to celebrate the vacation we're on! What are the suggestions?"
"What about building snowmen?" offered Miroku.
"Bleh. Too boring! I say we go sledding!" piped up Kagome. InuYasha was surprised to find that for once he agreed with the little bitch. He had always wanted to go sledding but had never had the chance. Not that he would let anyone here know that…
Everyone else seemed to think it was a great idea, and that's how an hour later, everyone had piled out of the cabin with sleds in tow. Kagome led the way, charging ahead into the woods in search of a good sledding hill. She had only gone about 100 yards when she started jumping up and down, and yelling at everyone to hurry up. When everyone had made their way up to Kagome (InuYasha was last), they looked over the scene. It was the perfect sledding hill. Devoid of trees, the clearing consisted of a large hill that started out steep, and slowly tapered to a long flat area. In various places there were bumps in the snow that Miroku and Sesshoumaru were already planning to be jumps.
Everyone ran towards it laughing and jumping (well, Sesshoumaru walked and scowled), except for InuYasha who stood staring at the huge hill. He hadn't expected the hill to seem quite so…big.
"You coming dogboy?" InuYasha's gaze snapped to Kagome who was standing and staring at him.
"Of course I am," scoffed InuYasha. "I happen to be the master at sledding."
"Oh," said Kagome innocently, "then you wouldn't say 'no' to racing me down it?"
InuYasha gulped and took a look at the hill again. "Of course not." Kagome and InuYasha both made their way over to the hill and grabbed two saucers. Kagome got the pink one, and InuYasha snagged a blue one from Miroku. Kagome looked around.
"So who will judge the race to see who wins?" Miroku's hand shot up. He immediately assumed the role of the race manager.
"Alright!" his voice boomed out over the clearing. "All the competitors to the starting line right here." Kagome and InuYasha made their way over. Kagome leaned over to InuYasha.
"Don't worry. It only hurts a little, and it's only terrifyingly scary…not horrifyingly scary!" She smiled cheerfully at him, as his face grew white.
"Racers, on your mark!"
"Um…maybe we shouldn't do this…" InuYasha said, and started to get up.
"Are you chicken?" Kagome said slyly. InuYasha sat back down.
"Get SET!"
"Oh God…"
"GO!" Suddenly the world was spinning amazingly fast, and InuYasha couldn't tell up from down. All he knew was that he was hurtling through space faster and faster. Everything was a white blur, except for a pink and black blur that InuYasha thought was Kagome, judging from the shrieks and giggles. He was being jolted up and down, and he could feel wind all around him, then suddenly it was over. His saucer hit a bump and he went flying through the air, gripping onto the saucer for dear life, and then he plowed through the snow. He jumped up with icy coldness everywhere, in his ears and nose, and down his shirt. He saw that Kagome had slid to a stop safely and was nearly hysterical with laughter. InuYasha dusted off what snow he could, then glared at her with all his might.
"Bitch! I challenge you to a rematch."
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Later that night, everyone was exhausted, damp, and deliriously happy as they sat by the fire drinking hot chocolate.
"Haha! And remember when Sesshoumaru fell trying to get ON the sled?"
"And when Sango totally owned Miroku in that snowball fight?"
"Yeah, that was great."
"I still say I beat you."
"Yeah right!"
"Anyone want more hot chocolate?"
"Can pigs fly?"
"Actually…no"
"Oh. Well I do." InuYasha sat back and watched everyone trying to speak at once. He laughed along with all of them, and realized that he hadn't laughed…really laughed like this for a long time. He was happy. Maybe this group wasn't all that bad. InuYasha glanced over at Kagome. She was laughing at something Rin had said, and holding a cup of hot chocolate. Her eyes were sparkling, and her black hair tumbling freely down her back. Maybe he had been too quick to judge her…maybe she wasn't all that bad. Then he actually paid attention to what Rin and Kagome were saying.
"I can't believe he hasn't noticed yet!"
"I know." They both glanced over at him. InuYasha growled and stood up…only to have a couple gallons of snow dumped on his head. Everyone else shrieked with laughter.
"KAGOOOOMEEE!"
And that's my cue to leave! Kagome thought to herself, as she retreated to her room, laughing all the way
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"Did you sleep well?" Kagome asked InuYasha innocently the next morning as he stumbled into the kitchen. InuYasha growled and started towards her. Kagome had somehow managed to fix his alarm clock up so that it would ring EVERY TEN MINUTES, and InuYasha had not been able to figure out how to make it stop. He had even resorted to smashing the alarm clock into tiny bits, but somehow it had still managed to emit a horrible beeping.
"Just so you know, I'd watch where you…" smoosh "…step," Kagome giggled. She had laid out a couple of plates with honey on them, and InuYasha had fallen right into her little trap.
"AAAAARGH!" InuYasha screamed. "You are such a goddamned BITCH! How do you live with yourself? How do your parents live with you?" InuYasha suddenly saw Kagome's back straiten while she was washing the dishes. It seemed he had struck a nerve. Well then… "I mean really, how can you're parents put up with you? I sure couldn't. Day in, day out, with all of this? I don't know how they survive!" Suddenly Kagome wheeled around, and InuYasha found his voice dry up in his throat. She was looking at him with a look of such pure hatred, he couldn't speak. Then he looked a little deeper, and found that the hatred was only masking something else, something so painful, and sorrowful…
"You think you can sit there and council me about my life? Make fun of every move that I make?" Kagome practically screamed at him. "The high and mighty InuYasha! He can do whatever he wants!" Kagome shoved past him and moved towards the door. She threw on a jacket and hat, and a pair of boots. InuYasha started after her but she glared at him with such potent venom in her gaze that he stopped in his tracks. "Stay away from me InuYasha! Just stay away! And don't even think of following me. I HATE YOU!" And with that, Kagome ran out the door, and into the woods, just as it begun to snow.
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Kagome stumbled through the woods, tears blinding her. InuYasha was such a jerk! How come he, of all people could make her feel like this? How come he was the only one who could get her to remember that
(horrible, terrifying)
day? She never wanted to remember it again. Tears streamed from Kagome's eyes now, but she kept moving. Anything to get farther away from InuYasha, and farther away from those memories that plagued her life.
(Her mother was screaming)
No! Kagome tried to shove the thoughts to the back of her mind, but now that the dam was broken they kept spilling forth.
(Kagome was crying, and Sota, little Sota didn't even understand what was happening.)
Kagome barely registered that it was snowing. She was practically blind to the world around her. All she knew was that she had to keep moving.
(Sirens wailed. They were getting closer. Why were they so slow?)
Kagome ran a few more steps then finally gave in. She didn't know how long she had been running, but her legs were sore as she collapsed on a rock in the middle of a clearing. Sobs wracked her body as memories flashed through her brain. She settled down and let the images wash over her.
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InuYasha glanced again at the clock. It had been 45 minutes since Kagome had left. No one else was up yet, and he didn't want to go after her himself, because every time he started to put his boots on her face flashed into his head, saying
"Stay away from me InuYasha! Just stay away! And don't even think of following me. I HATE YOU!" It replayed over and over in his mind. He checked the clock again. 46 minutes. It didn't matter any more. Something could have happened to Kagome. He had to find her, even if she hated him. InuYasha ran to Sango's bedroom. He pounded on the door.
"Get up! I need your help!" He than ran to all the other rooms and woke them all up. In five more minutes (too long, they were too slow!) everyone was in the living room, and InuYasha had told them all about the fight he and Kagome had.
"She hasn't come back yet," he said, running his hands through his black hair (A/N: Yes, he dyed it black again). So we have to find her. I'm afraid something might have happened. Alright. Sango, you should stay at the house in case she comes back. Miroku, you go that way, and Rin go with Sesshoumaru over there. I'll go by myself, and we should split up and meet back here every 30 minutes. Let's go." And then they were off.
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It was about 30 minutes after Kagome collapsed on the rock that she started to get a hold of herself. Her eyes were red from crying, and her hair was messed up, but she decided it was time to go back. Not only had she cried for long enough, but she also didn't want Sango or Rin getting worried. Plus, she was getting very cold. All she had on was her pajamas, a large winter jacket, some boots, and a hat. Kagome hopped off the rock to head back, when she realized she couldn't see her footprints. And she suddenly understood that the falling snow had covered them. I…I can't find my way back. Kagome blinked, then sat down on the rock. It really was very cold. She curled up and began to shiver. Someone would find her right? But then InuYasha might still be very mad at her… I have to find my own way back. Kagome thought stupidly. Her thoughts were turning sluggish. I have to keep moving, she thought, this time thinking a little smarter. She got up and started walking through the snow in what she thought was the right way.
"Help! Anyone?" she called out. She started to shiver harder. How could this happen? Only last night she had been happy and drinking hot chocolate with her friends. How had everything change so quickly?
"Is anyone there?" Kagome's legs started to get heavier. I have to keep going, "Please, somebody help me!" Kagome kept moving, and then saw a tree she recognized form the walk here. She was going the right way! Too bad she couldn't feel her hands anymore… Kagome kept walking, and then her legs went numb, but still she trudged on. Snow now blanketed her black hair, and she was shivering uncontrollably. The only sound she could hear was her chattering teeth. "Please…" she whispered as her knees gave out, and still she crawled forward. "Someone help me…InuYasha…" then Kagome collapsed on the ground. She was shivering so hard now…and the snow was so comfortable. She was so incredibly tired. The world began to swim before her eyes and slowly go black. "InuYasha…" So this is what dying felt like.
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InuYasha ran through the snow, his search becoming more and more frantic as time wore on. That stupid bitch! How could she go out alone in the weather! And with the snow falling to cover her tracks, it was almost impossible to find her. It had been fifteen minutes already since the search had began, but it seemed like so much longer, and InuYasha kept searching.
"Kagome! Call if you can hear me!" He plowed on through the snow. "Kagome!" From somewhere to his left he heard a twig snap. "Kagome?" He walked over towards where he had heard the sound, and saw a patch of black amidst the sea of white.
"Kagome!" he shouted, and began to run towards the motionless lump. He reached her, and found her curled up in a ball. Oh God. She was shivering, and bad. He had to get her back to the cabin and call an ambulance. Quickly, InuYasha picked up the girl, and she mumbled a little bit through her chattering teeth. He ran as fast as he could back towards the cabin.
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"Sango! Quick!" InuYasha burst through the door to the cabin , and stripped off Kagome's boots, jacket, and hat quickly. Sango came running into the room and cried out when she saw Kagome's vibrating form.
"Get her into some warm clothes." Ordered InuYasha. "And fast! And get a blanket. I'll go make some hot chocolate and call the ambulance." Sango ran to get some warm clothes and InuYasha laid Kagome on the couch and hurried to the kitchen. He picked up the phone and went over to the water heater. Then he realized the phone had a busy signal. Damn. The phone lines were down, probably from all of the snow. He made up the hot chocolate and rushed back into the room, just as Sango finished changing Kagome into another pair of pajamas, and wrapped their warmest blanket around her. InuYasha took Kagome's still shivering form in his arms and carefully made her drink some of the hot chocolate. The shivering didn't get any better. In fact, InuYasha realized with horror, it had gotten worse than before. She was shivering so violently now that it looked like she was having convulsions. Then, suddenly she stopped.
InuYasha let out a stream of curses, then stripped down to his pants, taking off his jacket, boots, gloves, and hat in less than 4 seconds. He lay next to her on the couch, cradling her limp form, and pulled the blanket over both of them. Nothing happened. InuYasha held her tighter, and willed all of his body to heat into her body, and still nothing happened. Then all of a sudden, like an old car starting up on a cold morning, Kagome's body began to shiver once again, and her teeth began chattering. Thank God, InuYasha silently said.
Slowly, color began to come back into Kagome's face, and her shivering became less. InuYasha held her close until, eventually, Kagome lay quiet and he fell asleep.
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Alright! That was a looooooong chapter, and I hope you all like it. There was a lot of drama, and not a lot of fluff, but they'll be time for that later. By the way, some of the technique I used, (that part where I kept using parentheses) I picked up from the Stephen King book The Dark Half, which I do not own, but would highly recommend as well! So R&R! Thanks for reading!