The Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Eight

They waited three days in Kasukabe for the winter snow to clear. Three days of being all but trapped inside with no one except Kohaku, her brothers and the innkeeper for company. The glares that had cut across the room, particularly from Takanori's corner, were sharp enough to slice through bamboo, but hardly a word was said. Ryo, she'd noticed, wasn't as hostile as their eldest brother and she wondered if something hadn't happened while he was out with Kohaku.

She'd done her best to mend fences, sitting between them, inviting them into polite conversation, pointing out common interests, but neither side would be swayed. And so they had bided their time until the storm let up enough to permit travel. She'd expected a fight when it came time to determine which direction they should travel. Despite all logic and wisdom, Takanori stubbornly refused to venture farther north to Kohaku's village. He appealed to Ryo only to find their younger brother with his eyes downcast, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"We should go to the demon slayer's village," he implored. "We'll never make it back in this snow."

It was little secret where Kohaku's opinion lay, or hers for that matter, which meant Takanori was left annoyed and outnumbered. He accepted defeat with a scowl and spent the next hour packing and grumbling about the disloyalty of family.

They left Kasukabe on horseback with the arrival of the dawn. Mist was still curling off the rooftops and the air held the frigid crispness that chills your lungs when you breathe it in. Kohaku had told her while packing their bags that they weren't far from his village, just a few days. If they could make before another storm hit, they would have somewhere safe to rest for the winter. The thought of having a home once more, however temporary, warmed her to her core. This was what she had dreamt of night after night for a year – she and her brothers, reunited again under a single roof.

Reason dawned on her, creeping in unexpectedly like the first winter frost to steal away her smile. If she and her brothers lived together under one roof, there would be no hope for her relationship with Kohaku to blossom into anything more than what it was now. They'd shared a kiss in the onsen, he cared for her, but that was a far cry from wanting to take a girl as a wife and her brothers would be satisfied with nothing less. And she could hardly fault them - it was their duty as her brothers now that their father was gone to find her a good match.

But while her brothers were concerned with evaluating Kohaku's worth as a potential suitor, her thoughts were very much focused on whether she was a suitable prospect for him. How would his family see her? No doubt as an outsider who spoke a different dialect and knew nothing of their way of life. And her previous employment made it impossible to argue that she was a virgin or respectable. Kohaku may not mind, but his family certainly would. How could they ever consider her to be a prospective wife given her past?

The reality of her situation was a harsh one and it weighted heavily upon her, keeping her silent for much of the journey. She closed her eyes and leaned back against Kohaku's chest, thankful for the support it offered. His arm tightened around her midsection and he pressed a secretive kiss into her hair. By now he would have cracked at least a few jokes into her ear to ease the weariness of travel, but this morning he had been quiet as well. She wondered if his thoughts were the same as her own. Was he re-thinking the wisdom of bringing her and her brothers to his village? Or perhaps he was re-considering whether she was worth such hassle.

The sudden halt of their horse jerked her from her melancholy thoughts. Kohaku had pulled their horse to a stop at the edge of the frozen river and was leaning forward in the saddle to inspect the shore. She followed his gaze down to the remains of a wooden bridge. The winter storm had torn it apart at the seams and pieces of it were lodged deep in the ice.

"It happens every winter," Kohaku said by way of explanation. "We rebuild it each spring when the ice thaws."

He held up his hand and her brothers drew their horses to a halt beside them.

"Is it safe to cross?" Ryo wondered, with a glance at the remains of the bridge.

"The ice is usually thick enough to cross on foot," Kohaku explained, jumping down from the saddle. "I'm not so sure about how it'll hold up to three horses though."

He reached up and helped her down from the saddle. Takanori's eyes narrowed, but she ignored him and turned in Kohaku's arms to look out at the wide, frozen expanse of the Abukuma River. It looked as hard and unmoving as rock, but she trusted Kohaku's instincts. He knew this land better than they could ever hope to and if he was wary about this crossing then they had cause to be wary too.

Leaving the horse's reins in her hands, he moved to the edge of the river and hacked into the ice along the shoreline with his knife. A small piece came way and he held it up. It was about as thick as a man's palm and solid. Kohaku frowned as he tossed it away and tucked his knife back into his belt.

"It might be okay, but I think we should take turns. Let me cross first and if it is safe, I'll tell you to follow."

Ryo blew out an impatient sigh and jumped down from his horse. Takanori, silently, followed suit.

Rin glanced nervously at the river and discretely put her hand overtop of Kohaku's when he took the horse's reins from her.

"Be careful," she pleaded. A worried frown formed between her brows and he offered her a reassuring look.

"It'll be fine. I'm just being overly cautious," he said with an easy smile and then led the horse towards the river with a light cluck.

Kohaku's first steps across the river were tentative. He tested the ice with each step before putting his full weight down. The horse snorted impatiently but matched his cautious pace. It felt like an eternity had passed before his feet touched solid ground on the other side. Rin exhaled the breath she'd been holding and smiled with relief.

Kohaku tied his horse up on the opposite bank and then returned for her. She was happy to have an excuse to slip her arm through his and smiled nervously as he led her step-by-careful-step across the river to the other side. She turned back to watch Ryo's crossing next, her heart planted firmly in her throat. He brushed a hand nervously through his short-cropped hair and then took hold of his beast's reins, leading it slowly onto the ice. He made the perilous journey, horse in tow, with his face twisted into an expression of hyper-concentration. When his feet reached the frozen ground on their side of the river he blew out a long sigh and grinned as if it had been no trouble at all.

"No problem at all," he boasted, but Rin saw behind his bravado. He was damn happy to have made it across without any problems and a good thing, too. None of them were swimmers. Having spent their entire life at the base of a mountain, the closest they'd ever gotten to swimming was lounging chest-deep in a hot spring. An icy cold river was another matter entirely.

With everyone but Takanori safely across, they all turned to watch his progress. He looked bored and impatient as he pulled his horse forward and led it onto the ice. He made it about half-way before the beast suddenly stopped. Takanori pulled its reins, gently rubbed its nose and clucked at it but the horse refused to move. It snorted and pawed at the ice uneasily with its hoof.

She heard Kohaku suck in a breath next to her. He had his eyes fixed on Takanori and was already moving towards the ice.

"Keep walking," he instructed with a casual wave of his hand. "I'll get the horse."

Takanori cast him a disparaging look and continued talking to the beast, trying to coax it forward. He pulled the reins once more and the horse reared up, slamming its hooves onto the ice. A loud crack sounded and Kohaku and Takanori both froze.

"Don't move," Kohaku called to him. "Don't you dare move."

Takanori was wise enough to listen. He stood as still as a statue, his entire body rigid as the ice fractured like spider-webs beneath his feet.

"If you want to make it back, listen to my next instructions very carefully," Kohaku shouted, his voice sounding calm despite the circumstances.

Takanori nodded ever so slightly.

"When you're ready, slide your foot real slow across the ice. Don't put your weight down until the ice feels secure. If it's still cracking don't move at all, understand?"

Takanori nodded and did just as Kohaku told him, sliding one foot and then another forward.

"Okay, that's good," Kohaku shouted encouragingly. "Keep going, nice and slow."

Takanori moved three excruciatingly slow paces, and then five. Rin felt her heart in the back of her throat and struggled to breathe around it. The horse was still stranded in the centre of the ice, refusing to move either forward or back. It snorted and stamped its paw in frustration, eager to be off the frozen river as well.

The horse suddenly neighed loudly and Takanori started, his feet sliding out from under him. His back hit the ice with an audible thud and then he was gone. They stared in silence at the spot where his body had been a bare few seconds before. In his place was a jagged black hole in the ice.

Ryo and Kohaku cursed in unison and ran to the edge of the river. Ryo was shouting Takanori's name, trying to get him to answer while Kohaku was unhooking his belt and sliding the bag from his shoulders.

"What are you doing?!" her brother demanded as Kohaku stripped off his clothes.

"I'm going in after him," he said plainly, "Unless you rather I let him drown?"

Ryo's open-mouthed silence was answer enough. Kohaku shoved his belongings into her arms and then slid out across the ice to the hole.

"How long do you think someone can last under there?" Ryo wondered as he stared aghast at the patch of dark water where Kohaku had just disappeared.

Rin shook her head. She didn't know, but she had to imagine it wasn't long. Her fingers tightened around Kohaku's clothes, still warm from being on his body. Her eyes remained fixed on the hole in the ice, unable to look away. What would she and Ryo do if they didn't resurface? What could they do? Ryo paced restlessly back and forth, clawing his hands through his hair.

"Curse the gods, Takanori! You better find your way to this side of the river or so help me I'll…"

A splash and a gasp came from the hole in the ice and Ryo rushed back to the river's edge. Kohaku's head popped up and a moment later he lifted Takanori's limp form out of the water. He managed to get him onto the ice and then pushed him towards the shore.

Ryo ran forward to help but Kohaku shouted for him to stop.

"The ice can't support all three of us. Stay on shore or I'll be dragging your body out of the river next!"

Ryo scowled and fisted his hands at his sides. He hated to feel useless and in this moment that was exactly how both of them felt – useless and helpless.

"Go get some firewood," Rin ordered without tearing her eyes from the river.

When Ryo hesitated she raised her voice. "If we don't warm them up, they'll die from the cold. Go! Now!"

Ryo didn't argue. Relieved to at last be useful, he ran into the trees to find anything dry they could use to start a fire. Rin waited on the shore, watching and pacing as Kohaku slowly crawled across the ice and away from the hole, dragging Takanori behind him. When they'd made it onto a stronger patch of ice, he rose unsteadily to his feet and hooked his arms under Takanori, dragging him the rest of the way to the shore.

"He's not breathing," Kohaku said without preamble once they arrived at the shoreline. Rin stared wide-eyed at her brother's face. His skin was as white as the belly of a fish and his lips had turned a pale shade of blue.

"I sent Ryo to get firewood," she stammered, her voice shaking. "What can I do?"

"Help me move him onto his side."

She dropped to her knees and set down Kohaku's clothes. Together they rolled Takanori onto his side and Kohaku thumped him solidly on the back.

"Come on, breathe," he urged, hitting him again, "Breathe!"

"Takanori, please!" she begged, rubbing frantically at his arms. "Please come back!"

One more solid hit sent a flood of water rushing out of her brother's nose and mouth. He coughed and gagged, spitting up more river water before pulling in a heavy breath. They sat him up so that he could breathe more easily and his eyes snapped open in wide-eyed shock. He looked from face to face, thoroughly startled to find himself soaking wet, freezing cold and lying on the edge of a river.

"You're okay!" Rin cried, throwing her arms around him. "You're going to be okay!"

Takanori's arm settled across her back as a look of relief washed over his features. His eyes met the dark-eyed gaze of the nearly-naked and equally soaked demon slayer and he nodded in silent gratitude. Kohaku bent to retrieve his shirt and pants from the ground and glanced down the shoreline.

"Where's Ryo with that firewood?"

All three of them looked up just as he man in question came into view with an armload of mostly dry branches and small sticks.

"This was all I could find," he said breathlessly. His voice trailed off as his eyes went to Takanori who still had Rin's arms wrapped around him.

"He's fine, but we need to get that fire going otherwise-"

Ryo didn't give Kohaku a chance to finish. He tossed his load of branches to the ground and wrapped his arms around him in a grateful hug. Kohaku's brows rose and he exchanged a surprised look with Rin. She looked pleased by Ryo's change of heart and Kohaku relaxed, patting the younger of her brothers on the back.

"You're as cold as ice!" Ryo declared, pulling away.

"I'll get the fire going," Kohaku said with as much authority as he could muster while shivering violently. "Help Takanori get out of those wet clothes."

"Take off his clothes? But it's snowing!"

"I hadn't noticed," Kohaku remarked dryly as his numbed figures struggled to hold his flint. "You'll need to take yours off too."

Ryo pulled at his dry shirt with a look of confusion, "But mine aren't wet."

"It doesn't matter. Your brother needs the warmth of your body to heat his blood. The fire will do it too quickly and he'll die, understand?"

Ryo didn't protest any further and pulled off his shirt and pants. He slung them over his horse's saddle and then picked his way over to where Takanori was sitting.

"You're lucky you're my brother," he muttered. "If you were anyone else I'd let you freeze."

Takanori narrowed his eyes at him, but the intensity of the shivers racking his body made any sort of snide retort impossible. Ryo followed Kohaku's directions and lay down behind Takanori, wrapping his arms around him.

"How long do we have to stay like this?" he asked, looking uncomfortably cold.

"Until he stops shivering enough that he can talk."

Kohaku turned his attention back to the fire and managed to get a small flame lighted with his flint. He looked relieved as the small pile of dry leaves and grass took and grew into something sustainable.

"What about you," Rin asked, as she added a few small sticks to the fledgling fire.

He was cold enough that his hands were visibly shaking. Noticing her gaze, he chaffed them together and attempted a smile.

"I'll be fine."

"Of course," she conceded, "but you'll be better with a little help."

She slipped off the small jacket she was wearing and laid it down atop the snow covered ground. Next she undid the obi at her waist and let the sides of her kimono fall open, revealing the thin yukata underneath.

"Lay down," she said with as much authority as she could muster and to her surprise Kohaku obeyed. Perhaps he was too cold to argue. His skin had gone stark pale, making each of his bruises stand out against this skin. Shades of purple and yellow coloured his ribs and torso, some of it caused by her brothers, some of it by his own recklessness.

Swallowing down any nervousness, she lay down on top of him and slipped his arms beneath her outer kimono. They folded across her back, holding her tight against him as she lay with her head against the side of his neck. It was only now that they were like this, with their bodies pressed close, that she realized just how badly he'd been shivering.

"Thank you for saving him," she said and ran her hand across the chilled skin of his chest.

He seemed to laugh softly and his lips brushed against her forehead in the softest of gestures.

"You're welcome."

After a moment she added, "Well, I think you did it."

"What's that?" His teeth chattered over each consonant sound and she chaffed her hands against the cool skin of his arms.

"Changed their opinion of you."

He chuckled lightly and then expelled a quiet sigh. "I hope you're right."

Author's Note: I am so incredibly sorry for the wait on this chapter. My home life has been busy lately with work and moving. I finally got a chance to get away and decided it was high time to finish this chapter. I've already begun working on the next one, too. For any out there who are still following this story, I am eternally grateful to you for your patience. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!

Addendum: I just received word that this little fic placed 1st for "Best AU" and "Best Drama" in April's Feudal Association Awards. I am beyond words. Thank you to everyone who gave this fic a chance and has stuck with it. I am indebted to all of you :) Many, many thanks!

Until next time,

Langus