Chapter 3: The Search

"KAGOME" Miroku yelled, from on top of his horse. The entire kingdom is covered in three feet of snow. It had stoped snowing at dawn, Miroku, Sango and InuYasha have been searching for Kagome cense they left the castle. "Kagome, it's me, Miroku" he waits for an answer, nothing.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to make you freeze the summer" Miroku struggles to get his horse through the snow wile saying to him self "Of course, none of this would have happened if she'd just told me her secret" a branch breaks and scares the horse, the horse reared up and Miroku fell into the snow.

"Miroku!" Sango and InuYasha rushed towards Miroku. "Are you ok, Miro?" asked InuYasha. Miroku saw his horse run off towards the castle. "Ya, I'm ok" Miroku grabs onto a branch of a leaning conifer, tries to pull himself to his feet, but the tree snaps upright and releases all its snow onto him. Groans.

As night falls Miroku walks by InuYasha and Sango, Kilala is in Sango's arms asleep. They struggle through the snow looking for shelter "Snow, it had to be snow, she couldn't have had tr-tr-tropical magic that covered the f-f-fjords in white sand and warm..." Miroku starts but stops when he sees smoke in the distant "Fire!".

Miroku takes a step foreword and tumbles down a hill and lands with a crash in an icy stream at the bottom. "MIROKU" screamed Sango, she and InuYasha rushes down the hill to Miroku. InuYasha helps his friend up "Miroku are you ok?" Sango asked, worry in her voice. "Yea, it's just a little water" he replies.

"Come on Miroku, we need to get you inside before you freeze" InuYasha sais. They walk up to a shop, Sango shakes the snow off a sign and reads "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post" Snow drops off a smaller sign. She reads it, happily. "Ooh! And sauna"

They walk inside and looks around, seeing only summer supplies. "Hoo hoo." They turns to see a bright-faced fellow sitting low behind the counter, fingers tapping tip to tip. Oaken sais "Big summer blow out. Half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention, yah?"

"Oh, great. But for know do you have winter close and boots?" asked Miroku. Oaken justers towards a wall saying "That would be in our winter department." The winter department contains three outfits, rope, a pick ax, and three pair of boots. The group walks over and picks up the outfits and boots and takes them to the counter. "I was wondering has a young woman come by here, the Princess perhaps?" Miroku asked.

"Only one's crazy enough to be out in this storm is you three" The front door suddenly blows open and in walks a mass of a man covered in ice and snow. "You and this fellow... Hoo hoo. Big summer blow out." The man walks over to Sango, sais in her face "Carrots" "Huh?" "Behind you" Sango looks behind her and sees some Carrots "Oh" she moves out of the way and the man grabs a bunch of carrots, tosses them on the counter, then moves through the place, gathering other supplies.

Oaken sais to the man "A real howler in July, yah? Where ever could it be coming from?" "The North Mountain." replies the man. "North Mountain" Miroku sais to himself. The man brings his supplies to the counter. Oaken counts on his fingertips. "That'll be forty" a little shocked the man replies "Forty? No, ten" Oaken replies in a sweet as pie voice "Oh dear, that's no good. See these are from our winter stock, where supply and demand have a big problem."

"You want to talk about a supply and demand problem? I sell ice for a living" The man motions out the window, where we see the blocks of ice on his sled, covered in snow. "Ooh, that's a rough business to be in right now. I mean, that is really..." Miroku starts, the man shoots him a nasty look and Miroku stops.

"Still forty. But I will throw in a visit to Oaken's sauna." Oaken waves towards a door "Hoo hoo! Hi, family." Everyone turn to see a naked family waving through the window of the steaming sauna. "Hoo hoo!" the family replies.

The man turns back to Oaken "...Ten's all I got. Help me out." "Ok" Oaken moves the supplies over and jesters to the carrots "Ten will get you this and no more." The man is getting upset. Miroku sais to the man "Sorry for bothering you, but can you tell me one thing; what was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem magical?"

The man pulls down his scarf and his hat with it revealing a handsome young man with sky blue eyes, long black hair tied up in a high pont tail and pointed ears revealing him as a demon. He gives Miroku a firm answer "Yes! Now, back up while I deal with this crook here." the demon points to Oaken.

Oaken stands up, revealing his seven-foot stature and asks "What did you call me?". The demon looks surprised at the man who looked smaller when he was sitting. Oaken grabs the demon and troughs him over the shoulders and stomps out, holding the demon with one arm.

"Okay. Okay, I'm- Ow! Whoa!" sais the demon. Oaken throws the demon, who face-plants in the snow. "Bye bye." Oaken slams the door.

"Koga, are you ok?" asks a young female wolf demon. Koga sits up "Ya, I'm ok Ayame". A reindeer walks over and, POOF. A young fox demon appears, the fox demon searches Koga's pockets "No Shippo, I didn't get your carrots." Shippo huffs. Koga turns away and sees something. He points to a dilapidated barn. "But I did find us a place to sleep. And it's free."

...

The group stands watching Oaken and all his great height as he squeezes behind the counter and sits down low again. "I'm sorry about this violence. I will add a quart of lutefisk, so we'll have good feelings. Just the outfit's and boots, yah?" Miroku looks between Koga's supplies and the door. "Umm"

...

In the barn Koga, Ayame and Shippo now unfrozen relax in a bed of hey. Ayame tucks Shippo in for the night "Do you think summer will com back Ayame?" Shippo asks in a tired voice. "yes Shippo, summer will come back" Ayame answered "know get to sleep" "but I'm not sleepy" Shippo sais and yawns.

Koga smiles "If you go to bed then I will sing you a song" "Can you sing me Reindeer's are Better then People?" Shippo asked, cuddling in the hey. "Of corse" Koga replies. Koga gets his guitar and lays back in the hey and starts singing.

Reindeer's are better than people

Sven, Don't you think that's true?

"Yeah, people will beat you

& curse you & cheat you.

Everyone of em's bad, except you"

Oh, thanks, Buddy.

But people smell better than Reindeer's

Sven, Don't you think I'm right?

"That's once again true

For all except you"

You got me

Let's call it a night

"Good night"

Don't let the frostbite

Bite

The door opens and in walks in Miroku, InuYasha and Sango. They are know in their new winter close. "Nice duet" said Sango. Koga, Ayame and Shippo all sit's up with a start. Koga recognizes them from Oaken's "Oh, it's just you. What do you want?"

Miroku steps forward and sais "I want you to take us up the North Mountain". Koga stairs at him then sais "I don't take people places." He lays back down, closes his eyes. "Let me rephrase that..." A sack of supplies lands in Koga's lap "Umph." He sits up. Looks in the bag.

Miroku has a determined look "Take us up the North Mountain" Koga eyes him. He clearly doesn't take orders. "Look, I know how to stop this winter." Miroku sais after a few minuets.

Koga considers, lies back down, pulls his hat over his eyes. "We leave at dawn... And you forgot the carrots for Shippo." A bag of carrots hits Koga in the face "Ugh!". Miroku has a serous look and sais "We leave now. Right now." Miroku and his friends walk out side.

Annoyed, Koga offers Shippo a carrot. Shippo has a bite. Then Koga has a bite, contemplating. Ayame packs up their belongings, witch isn't much. Koga looks at her "Your just going to help them?" he asks. "Well he did buy the supplies for us and he did say he knows how to stop this winter. Witch means we will still have our ice business" Koga stands up and hugs his mate "ok, I'll take them". Ayame smiles and kisses Koga. Shippo eyes widen and runs out saying "eeeeewwwww cutties"

...

Shippo transformed into a reindeer races, top speed, up a narrow cliff, pulling the sled, which skids precariously. Koga mans the reins, Ayame sits beside him, Miroku, InuYasha and Sango are siting behind Koga and Ayame, Kilala is on Sango's lap.

Koga looks behind him at Miroku then turns his eyes back to the front "So tell me, what made your sister go all ice-crazy?" "Well, it's my fault. I got engaged, and I arranged a marriage for Kagome. The King and Queen of Japan said if Kagome and their son got married they would give Arendelle 10% of their kingdom's yearly income.." Miroku started saying, Koga then interrupted "Wait, you were going to get your sister to marry someone she did not know?"

Not entirely listening to Koga, Miroku said "Yeah. Anyway, I got mad and so she got mad and then she tried to walk away, and I grabbed her glove-" Koga turns to Miroku "Hold on. You are telling me that you were going to force your sister to merry someone she dosn't love" Miroku staired at him "I was doing what I thought was best and royalty have been doing arranged marriages for centry's"

"did you even think about how your sister might act. Scratch that, did you even talk to your sister before you made the arrangement" "Well no" "I under stand that royalty have been doing arranged marriages for a long time, but you could have talked to your sister about it before saying yes to the King and Queen of Japan"

Miroku signed "your right, I should have talked to Kagome first. I was so happy that Kikyo said yes to marrying me that i wasn't thinking strait" Koga smerked "first crush?" he asked. "no, first love. Kikyo & I are getting married" answered Miroku.

"What's her last name?" Koga asked. "...Of Shikon?" "What's her favorite food?" "sandwitches" "Best friend's name?" "Probably Marry" "Eye color?" "Beautiful" "foot size?" "Foot size doesn't matter" "Have you had a meal with her yet? What if you hate the way she eats? What if you hate they way she treats your people?" "What do you mean?" "Well, some rich people. And I don't mean anything mean about it but some rich people don't treat comembers nicely"

Miroku stairs at Koga and sais "Excuse me, she's a Princess" "I didn't mean anything by it, its just some people are like that" "Look it doesn't matter; it's true love" "Doesn't sound like true love" "what, are you some kind of love expert" Koga thought for a sec "Well no, but I do not what it is to be in love. I remember when I first met Ayame. The way I acted. And I know how people look when they are in love"

"Oh rilly" Miroku sais, not believing him. Shippo stops and looks around, hearing something. "Shhh, stop talking" Koga said, looking around. "Excuse me?"Miroku replied, getting upset. Ayame clamped a hand around Miroku's mouth "Shhh, listen"

Kilala wakes with a start and growls. Koga stands, looks into the dark woods surrounding them. Sensing something behind them, he holds up his lantern. Its light reflects off...EYES. Several. "Shippo go... GO" Shippo started running as fast as he could. Sango looked back "What are they?". "Wolves" was Koga's replies

Flashes of white dart through the woods. Koga grabs a torch and lights it. "what do we do?" Miroku asked. "I've got this, just don't fall off" "I can help" said Miroku, "No" replies Koga. "Why?" "Because I don't trust your judgment" "Excuse me"

A wolf jumps at them, but Koga kicks it off. "Who marries someone they just met?" he asked. Sango getting angry grabs Koga's guitar swings it right at his head. Koga screams, as she...BAM!...swings past him and knocks a wolf away.

Just then Koga is yanked off the sled by another wolf. The torch goes flying. Ayame catches it, shocked and yells "KOGA". Koga grabs onto a loose rope hanging from the back of the sled and holds on for dear life as he's dragged behind. A wolf jumps on Koga and bites his shoulder "OW", Koga manages to knock the wolf off of him.

InuYasha grabs the torch from Ayame and lights a blanket "DUCK" InuYasha throws the flaming blanket right at Koga. He ducks. The blanket hits the wolves. "You almost set me on fire!" Koga said. InuYasha reached out a hand and Koga grabbed it "But I didn't" was Inu's replie.

Shippo looks ahead and his eye's widen "Guy's LOOK". Everyone looks ahead and sees a massive gorge ahead. "What do we do?" asked Miroku. "Jump" replies Koga. Kilala jumps into the air and transforms, Sango hops on her back then reaches her arm out to Miroku "Get on", Miroku grabs her hand and climes on Kilala's back.

"Get ready to jump Shippo" said Koga as he cuts the harness from the sled then tosses Ayame on Shippo's back. "Shippo, jump". Shippo umps the gorge with Ayame on his back. Kilala fly's across with Sango and Miroku on her back. Koga and InuYasha goes flying off behind them, still on the sled. Ayame and Shippo land safely on the other side of the gorge.

Koga's sled starts to lose momentum about a third of the way. He and InuYasha jumps. InuYasha lands safely wile Koga slams into the snowy edge of the cliff. Hanging by his hands, he looks down to see his sled hit the ground far below and burst into flames.

Koga said in a shocked/sadness voice "...But I just paid it off." Suddenly, he starts to slip. He claws at the loose snow, but it's clearly hopeless. He's going down. "Uh-oh. No, no, no." To make matters worse, an AXE comes flying right at his face. "AH! NO, NO, NO!" The axe slams into the snow, inches from his nose.

"Grab on" calls Miroku. Koga grabs on. The axe is tied to a rope, then wrapped around Shippo (still in his reindeer form). Miroku and Ayame pull Koga to safety. Koga rolls onto his back, exhausted. Miroku peeks down at the burning sled. "Whoa... I'll replace your sled and everything in it." Koga groans. Ayame helps Koga up "are you ok?" she asked. "yea, I'm ok" he replies.

As dawn aproches the group walks on a narrow rim of a mountain. As they step out of the thick trees, Miroku catches sight of something far below. "the Kingdom" he sais. You can see Shikon City covered in ice and snow, and if goes all across Arendelle. "It's completely frozen." Koga sais, in a shocked voice.

"...But it'll be fine. Kagome will thaw it" Miroku sais. Koga looks over at Miroku and asks "Will she?". "...Yeah. Now come on. This way to the North Mountain?" Miroku sais, a little uncertain. Pointing strait ahead. "More like this way." Koga points towards a perilously mighty mountain.

finally, i was able to update this story. sorry for taking so long. PLEASE review.