-giggles happily- Hello again! I am afraid I won't be able to update over the weekend, and so, here is another chapter to hold you over until I can! It's a rather long chapter, actually… Hope you enjoy it!
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Forgotten
Chapter Eleven: Cold Angel
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By the time the hanyou and miko return to the cabin their friends are fast asleep. Much to their surprise they find Miroku and Sango lying on the floor…together…with Kirara curled up at their feet. And there, snuggled between, completely content and as adorable as ever, is little Shippo. Smirking at the sight, Inuyasha, plops down by the wall as Kagome gets ready for bed. The hanyou completely ignores her, trying to ease his troubled mind over what he had said…how he had acted… Growling softly, he glances at her, making sure she isn't looking, before he wiggles his toes grumpily. His feet are cold…freezing, actually, but he's certainly not going to let her know that!
Shivering, Kagome hugs her jacket close, trying to stay warm. It's cold in the cabin, a little warmer then outside, but still chilly enough for her to see her breath. The snow's already reached a good foot or so, and it's still coming down heavily. Kagome shivers again and struggles to open her sleeping bag. Just as she starts to fumble with the zipper, it's ripped from her gloved hands.
"Hey! What are you…?" Her voice trails off as she watches Inuyasha open the zipper for her. Before she can even thank him, however, he suddenly wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her down with him as he sits down on the floor, close to the wall. Startled, she lets out a gasp as she finds herself in his lap. He only growls softly before he proceeds to wrap the opened sleeping bag around them both like a blanket. "Inuyasha…what…?"
"Shut up," he growls lowly, wrapping his arms around her as he speaks. Kagome looks down in surprise, her cheeks flushing light pink. "You wanna freeze t'night?" Not noticing that his cheeks are rosy as well, the miko blushes even deeper.
"Well, no, but…"
"Then stop complainin' and go t' sleep." Kagome smiles softly at his low growl. Sleep does seem like a good idea right now. After all, it has been an excruciatingly long day. Besides, the hanyou's embrace is awfully warm and comforting. Letting out a soft yawn, she snuggles into him, coming to rest her head on his chest. Inuyasha tenses up slightly, suddenly a bit hesitant, but when Kagome lets out a content sigh, finally at peace, he relaxes as well…
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The morning brings sunshine to be sure, but the light is faint and dim, not doing much at all against the deep blanket of white covering the earth. The small cabin, nearly buried under the two and a half feet of snow, appears rather peaceful in the morning light. Inside the wooden hut there is complete silence, for all its occupants are currently fast asleep…with the exception of one furry being.
Kirara yawns widely before stretching out her tired and slightly chilled legs, attempting to chase away the stiffness pulling upon her muscles. Only the faint chirpings of those winged pests called birds can be heard. Normally she'd be interested in seeing if at least one of them would like to play, but as the snow is much too deep, and she's still rather sleepy, Kirara decides against it. Instead she pads into the middle of the small cabin, takes another stretch, wags her two tails a few times, then bounds around the room, just for the exercise. Fully awake now, Kirara sits down and peers around the room, observing her companions carefully.
Her mistress, the 'Lady Sango' as the monk calls her, is currently fast asleep in his welcome embrace, with little Shippo curled up between them both. The two older companions had agreed the night before that it was only in order to keep the cold away, as lying close would allow them to share their body heat. Kirara knows better however. Wagging her tails she gives a feline smile. Sango fell in love with Miroku long ago, as he had her. Both have been much too afraid to admit to these feelings however. Kirara coos softly in mourning, wrapping her tails around herself for comfort. Her mistress is terrified of losing another loved one. The priest is frightened that should his Kazzanna take him…Sango will be hurt. In truth, they both fear the same thing.
A faint rustling noise adverts Kirara's attention to a different area of the small hut. Her feline gaze lands upon Inuyasha, a fascinating being who she instantly found herself liking, despite the fact that he is indeed half dog-demon. The silver-haired teen lets out a soft yawn, flashing sharp white fangs before he settles down again, snuggling into the one he holds in his arms. Kirara purrs happily, her tails swishing side to side. It didn't take long for her to realize that the hanyou and his companion, a kind miko, were meant for each other. Kagome was the first to start to question her feelings, and Inuyasha soon followed suit. Before long it became apparent to all but the miko and hanyou that they truly need one another to be happy. This strange mystery of selected amnesia has only proven that point further. Without the presence of the other, the two found themselves extremely forlorn, longing for something that they just couldn't find.
Letting out her own yawn, Kirara bounds around the room again, and then chases her tail energetically. It cheers her up to think that her four companions have finally begun to apprehend that their feelings are heartfelt and returned. Maybe the two couples will at long last get together. Growing bored now, as thinking upon the subject of romance can grow tedious after a while, Kirara pads over to a window and leaps up upon the sill. She sniffs the cold air seeping in with curiosity. By the scent of the air, it's late morning, around nine or so. Yet the others are still fast asleep, an extremely rare occurrence, and even Shippo isn't awake to play with. Deciding to let them continue sleeping, for they all deserve a break, Kirara bounds back down to the floor and slinks back over to her mistress. Yawning again, she curls up next to Sango and snuggles into the blanket. A soft purr follows shortly after, and it doesn't take long for her to fall into a welcome slumber…
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"Inuyasha! Come here!" Grinning happily, Kagome spins around, the snow around her fluttering about in a dance. The hanyou trudging through the cold wet slush tries not to notice how strikingly beautiful she is, surrounded by the purity of freshly fallen snow.
"Shut up already! I'm comin'!" Grumbling lowly, he finally joins her side, tucking his arms in his haori sleeves. "Now what do you want?" He tosses his head to the side, much like an annoyed animal, and scoffs faintly, his nose wrinkling rather cutely. In truth he'd rather not stay outside for long. He flat-out lied the day before: his feet are cold. How could they not be? The snow picks up again, flurrying down to add to the already tall drifts of two to three feet. If this keeps up, their little cabin will be buried in no time.
"I wanted to show you something!" Kagome smiles sweetly, her chocolate eyes glittering with joy. He merely blinks at her, half-way annoyed, yet surprisingly curious. Taking his silence as permission to go ahead, she suddenly leans back. Instantly Inuyasha gives a gasp, reaching out to grab her; he realizes a split second later that she meant to fall, and so he lets her, pulling back his hand quickly, praying she hadn't noticed. With a soft pleasing giggle, the young miko plops down into a snow drift. Still giggling, she makes a jumping-jack motion, moving her arms and legs smoothly. Blinking up at him, she stops, smiles, and reaches up. "Help me up?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Growling faintly, the hanyou leans over and wraps his hand around her wrist. In one fluid motion he pulls her back to her feet. After quickly glancing her over, needing to know she's perfectly fine, Inuyasha growls again. Without even thinking on the action, he grabs her shoulder and spins her around; his claws scrape gently against the fabric of her jacket as he brushes the snow off her back, grumbling all the while. She merely blinks, completely taken by surprise. "You're gonna catch sick if you just throw yourself into the snow like that!" His warning is harsh, but Kagome cannot help but smile; he worries as much as she does. Huffing faintly, annoyed at her actions as well as his own, the hanyou looks back to the strange pattern in the snow. "…Hey…" He pauses for a moment, caught by the simple yet intriguing imprint left behind. "That's…"
"A snow angel." She nods in agreement, pleased beyond words by Inuyasha's interest in the childish gesture. Suddenly the hanyou moves, catching her by surprise as he kneels down besides the shifted snow and tilts his head slightly to the left, his golden eyes taking in the simple pattern.
"It's missin' somethin'." He states plainly, his tone as arrogant as ever, yet hidden under the low growl is a hint of childish wonder. Kagome watches in awe as the hanyou leans over and dips a claw into the snow above the angel's head. In one smooth motion he drags his finger through the snow, drawing an oval. "There…!" Pulling his hand back he gives a content smirk, his canine ears perking up. "Perfect." He turns back to smile at his companion, and she finds her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his smile. Not a smirk…but rather a sincere smile. Blushing deeply, she smiles back, and nods. A halo was just what the angel needed.
"Hai…it is…" She agrees, pleased at the snow art that they created…together. Smirking now, he gets back onto his feet, shuddering briefly. Unfortunately for him, Kagome notices. "Inuyasha…" Racing over to his side, she looks up at him worriedly. He blinks in surprise. "We should get back inside." Suddenly he growls and crosses his arms in annoyance.
"Keh! Why? I'm not cold…!" He insists, his eyes flashing. The young miko frowns and glares at him.
"You stubborn jerk! You are cold!"
"I am not!" He snaps, flashing his fangs as he growls in her direction. She frowns at his persistence, and places her hands on her hip.
"You are to! Don't try to hide it from me!" Faint distress adds to her tone, and he pauses slightly, his ears twitching. He doesn't like the faint lift in her voice when she's upset. It worries him… "Now come on…! Let's go back inside and sit down…!" As soon as the words slip from her lips, the rosary around his neck suddenly begins to glow. Inuyasha looks down at in confusion as Kagome blinks in surprise. A split second later the hanyou gives a faint yelp of surprise as he'd thrown face first into a full-body slam into the snow. Kagome gives a squeal and brings her arms up to block herself from the sprinklings of snow thrown her way.
"Oh my god!" Completely stunned by this sudden turn of events, Kagome races to the hanyou's side and kneels down besides him just as he lifts his face from the newest imprint added to the snowy landscaping. " Inuyasha!" He spits out a clump of dirt and snow, as well as a rather impressive string of curses, before looking up at her and growling savagely.
"What the hell happened!" He demands, his golden eyes flashing. Kagome shakes her head as she quickly tries to help him back up.
"I'm not sure! All I said was that we should go inside and sit…eep!" With a squeal she looses her grip on the hanyou as he's sent back to the ground with a snow-muffled 'thud'! "Oh!" He lets out another round of cursing, his entire frame trembling with anger…and cold.
"STOP THAT!" He shouts furiously, lifting his head only to shake it, vainly trying to rid his hair of the snow clumps sticking to the silver strands. Kagome only kneels down, startling him into looking up at her.
"Inuyasha…" He tenses completely, wondering what she's up do. She smiles softly and tilts her head to the side, much like a feline; he shudders, peering up at her from his sprawled out position in the snow. "…Sit…" At the sound of her whisper, quiet and rather gentle, the rosary glows again. This time, however, the resulting pull is softer; with a faint gasp he head jerks down…right into Kagome's lap. Instantly his cheeks grow dark pink, the snow sprinkled against his heated face gradually melting. He trembles violently, unsure of how he's supposed to react.
A gentle touch brushes against his cold ears, and he tenses immediately. His mind races, his thoughts panicking. How is he supposed to react to this? He wants more than anything to be close to her like this, to be as near as he can, to hold and protect her…but there's something tugging at the back of his mind. Something…no…someone…else. Still…his heart flutters almost painfully against his ribs as he feels her fingers against his ears. A moment later he realizes that she's only stroking his hair, brushing the snow away.
"You really shouldn't be so quick to get angry, you know…" Her light scolding is only met by weak grumble. "Now come on…" Smiling softly, she gently tugs on his left ear as the right one gives a faint twitch. "Let's go inside…and have a seat." This time he gives a smirk as he lifts his head, locking eyes with the beautiful miko.
"Sure, wench…let's go…"
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-giggles impishly- Wow! Fear the fluff! -beams- Nonetheless, that was quite some fun to write! I hope you enjoyed it, too! And to think, this is still just getting started! Le gasp! Well, until we meet again – Je ne!
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