Mount Fuji was covered in snow and ice. Inuyasha stayed close to his optimistic wife reading the trail map. He had offered to carry her up the side on his back but she insisted they walk the full trail 'the human way'. For the experience! According to her map, it would take anywhere between five to eight hours to climb the mountain at a leisurely pace. Given how cold her skin already felt to his touch, he could not imagine spending the night without protection. Thankfully there were several huts along their trail.

"Another one closed!" Kagome stomped her foot.

"You said it's the off season, right? Why would anyone want to climb a mountain in the early spring?" His wife gave him an irritated look before trying the door. The sign advertised cans of oxygen – the protective herb that would keep his human safe in the higher planes. A row of viewing benches showed the winding trails below. Thick white clouds were already beginning to camouflage the world below – a world of white mist.

"Inuyasha!" The lock was pathetically weak. He pushed open the thick wood. A small shop inside still advertised goods and services for travelers. Another door revealed a satisfactory sleeping area. It was insulated against the strong, frozen winds of the mountains. Kagome's voice bounced around the interior. He found a gas lamp and the liquid used to fuel it. The heavy pack was dropped on the floor. Other rolled futons had been stacked in a closet. The station was a place of rest for climbers.

"Water! Drink up, Kagome." Inuyasha pulled the pack out of storage.

"That's stealing! We can't drink that."

"Then we'll leave money when we leave. You need water." While he considered the food and the hut abandoned property, Kagome hesitated. After a moment of mental math, she took a long gulp from the transparent containers. Water was extremely heavy to carry; given the mountain's frozen state, it might be hard to find as they traversed. The wind would prevent any mountain campfire. The sun outside was beginning to set. His ears turned to listen to the wind already pushing against the structure. Creaks and groans worried him but the beams looked strong enough.

While Kagome rested, he found the remained of the supplies in the closet. A bin full of cans reminded him of Kagome's stickier hair supplies. She showed him how the nozzle could cover her mouth and how to press the button. If they continued to climb and she could not breathe or fainted, he should give her the life-saving oxygen.

Light filled the dark corners when the gas lamp came to life. There was plenty of fuel to so Kagome could see to use the toilet outside. Rather than use their supplies, he convinced her that it was moral to eat the store's forgotten food bars. They could leave cash at the till to pay for their usage. Climbing a snowy mountain capable of an avalanche, he would rather have supplies than colored paper and was it not a fair payment for the services of the roadside shop anyway? When Kagome removed her shoes he helped rub warmth back into her soles.

"Isn't the mountain beautiful, Inuyasha?" Kagome checked her camera. Another click made his ears spin.

"You need another picture of me? What for?"

"Another picture of my cute husband? Lemme think," she giggled. "I took plenty of pictures to show Grandpa! He climbed the mountain with my grandmother once. I'm not sure if he could make it now. We can show Mama and Souta!"

"The last thing I need is to drag a group of delicate humans up a frozen mountain." Kagome giggled at his honest exasperation. His wife had learned to survive in the outdoors but it had taken years of whining and complaining. Life in this era had made humans soft – softer even than the humans in his world.

"If we get started early tomorrow morning we could reach the crater by sunrise! Do you think we could go that fast?"

"In this weather? You'll freeze. There's too much snow."

"I have warm clothes and we won't stay long. I really want to see the sunrise. Please, Inuyasha?" Kagome clasped her hands together. Long, dark eyelashes stroked her face. "I'll even wear the robe of the Fire-Rat over my clothes. We can always come back down the mountain to a hut."

"It will be cold and dark. You won't be able to see the path. What if you slip?"

"What if you carried me? You can see in the dark, can't you?" The beauty bit her lip hopefully. His resolve wavered. He could see in the dark better than a human but there was still the question of the snow and the wind. He would have to bundle his human tightly in the robe to insulate her thin skin. The hide was magically protective against blades and poison and fire and the weather. It used his youki to repair any damage it incurred.

"If you wear the robe, deal?"

"Thank you, Inuyasha!" Kagome threw her arms around his neck. He bowed forward to accept the embrace. "It's going to be so beautiful, I just know it! There was a class trip my senior year but I missed it. All of my friends brought back souvenirs."

"You never said anything." Guilt stilled his tongue. Kagome and her family had given up many things for their relationship. She had sacrificed time with her family for their quest.

"We were in the middle of a battle with Naraku. I couldn't very tell take off time for a school trip, could I? Not when people were dying." The grip around his shoulders tightened. Their long struggle with the bastard made him squeeze her in return. He rested his cheek against her scalp. The simple joy of holding one another kept the memories at bay. So many times he had almost lost her! Sango, Miroku, Shippo – everyone was safe.

"I'd rather go on a trip with you anyway," she confessed. The clean scent of her hair reminded him of jasmine. The wench used her scented shampoos that distinguished her scent from most others in his era. It made tracking her easier. Others usually bathed with river water and soap made from rendered animal fat.

"You know what would be romantic?" Gentle hands tugged on his shirt. Lips brushed against his skin.

"Here?"

"It's totally deserted! If we came back, there would be lots of tourists. What do you think?" Teasing fingers untied his knots. The shock of cold, harmless nails on his chest confused him. A kiss to his jaw followed. His eyes closed while she toyed with the skin on his neck.

"We have to get up early if you want to see the sunrise. Don't you need sleep?" An overtired, cranky Kagome was far more likely to sit him.

"Remember when Miroku and Sango married? We had just started dating." Lips rested against his throat. His resolve was crumbling the longer she touched him. The first time they had held hands together at a group dinner, the teasing had been merciless. Miroku had been a little drunk and Sango was too busy fending him off but Shippo had been the worst. What Kagome called dating his era knew as courting, not that he knew much about either! His impatient girlfriend had taken charge and kissed him for the first time, post-Naraku. It was a relief that she was relatively young and innocent herself to ease his embarrassment.

"Do you still hate open-mouthed kissing?" Kagome pinched him.

"It's not so strange anymore." To prove his point, he chastely kissed her lower lip. Her smile widened. Other couples kissed in his era – he was sure of that – but Kagome's style was unusual. Despite her insistence that it was quite common, it was absent from his world. The lecher had never heard of it! Kagome made a happy sound when he pulled her closer to smooch her more thoroughly. The memory of his own reaction the first time his girlfriend had brought it up was humorous.

"France is the province fighting with the island, right?"

"Not anymore. Like China and Japan, France and England have a complicated history." Kagome's smile was full of pride. He nodded while he recalled the map lines of the foreign lands. It was hard to think of their land as one nation with a single government and framework. On Kagome's map, the island was no longer marked by provinces owned by different families.

Kagome's piercing scream made him wince. He turned in preparation for battle. A small white mouse perched on her bag. A fallen crumb of granola was held between its paws while it nibbled. His wife's hands pushed him, urging him to kill it now. The rodent wasn't even very big. Red eyes noticed him and the rat dropped his food. Whiskers wobbled while it considered running; it seemed too scared to move.

"It's just hungry, wench. Calm down." He kept her hands pinned against his leg. "We are on the side of a mountain in bad weather. It just came inside to escape the cold. There's plenty of scraps for it to eat. It will not hurt you."

"It's a rat, kill it!" Her face was shielded in his shoulder.

"We've fought worse than some rodent." Inuyasha slid free. The little rodent quivered but allowed him to pick it up in his hand. He showed Kagome the harmless mouse held in place by his thumb. The length of the tail showed him it was a fairly harmless creature. Floppy white ears quivered when it turned its head to research him. His wife promised bodily harm if he came near her with the 'rat' in his hand. She refused to kiss the mouse's head.

"Stay away from me. I'm serious!" Kagome darted across the room.

Inuyasha took the mouse across the path to the storage shed. It was insulated against the cold. He crumbled up the remains of a half-stale granola bar for the mouse that scurried under a bale of hay. Kagome's entire family always seemed surprised by the existence of smaller life around their homes – rodents, insects, birds. They even sprayed the shrine grounds with poison to prevent insects from entering their home.

"Just stay out here until we have passed, Kagome doesn't like mice." Inuyasha advised the trembling little body in the hay. He made sure to close the door solidly behind him. The last thing he needed was another mouse infiltrating the hut where Kagome could see. He still remember the mouse that had nibbled her hair at the river! Screaming on a snow-covered mountain could cause an avalanche. He could pull himself out of the snow but Kagome would be endangered.


As asked, Inuyasha roused his tired wife before dawn. Kagome dug deeper into the sleeping bag and called him a particularly foul name that made him smile. It was not until he found started a brew of fresh tea that she lifted her head. He draped the bag around her while she ate. The cold seeping in through the windows gave a brief preview into the conditions outside. There was even a fresh layer of snow on the road outside leading back to the trail. Flurries melted in his hair from a trip to the pay toilet outside. He showed Kagome the funny sign that demanded payment for using the facilities. The fresh snow that passed her scarred ankles made him cringe.

"Inuyasha!"

"It's ridiculous. No!" The shelter had limited heat but it protected his human wife from the cold. He crouched to force her over his shoulder. Weak fists beat against his back while he carried her back inside. Years of experience trusting his senses warned him that the weather was preparing to turn. The unsettled flutter in his lower belly mattered more than his promise. It was too dark and too cold. Even the slimmer of moonlight would not give them sufficient passage up the increasingly slick mountain. Ice crystals on the ground nearly caused him to slip. Kagome crossed her arms in irritation but he barred the door with a heavy piece of wood.

"Even the animals have gone to shelter. They have more sense than stupid humans!"

"Did you just call me stupid?"

"You have no fucking sense of preservation! We're staying put." He ignored Kagome's furious pout. Sinking into a sitting position, he met her glare. While she looked pretty cute in her new clothes, the angry twitch coiled his nerves. The fury of a mountain in winter was too dangerous. Even with the robe of the Fire-Rat around her shoulders, she could suffer frostbite. By the time they reached the summit of the mountain where the wind would be at its worst, she could lose her fingers and toes!

Kagome stubbornly returned to her sleeping bag – alone – leaving him desolate. He was preparing to sleep against the wall when the sleeping bag flapped open. His wife pivoted at the hip to tap the thermal padding. The quiet forgiveness from their quarrel was a relief when he nuzzled into her shoulder. In younger days Kagome would have sent him crashing to the ground at the suggestion of being called stupid. It still surprised him that she had not.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"I'm sorry. You're right." Kagome squeezed his fingers. "The sunrise would be nice during the summer when there is not a blizzard. It would be unsafe. Sometimes I get carried away trying to keep up with you."

"Mountains are dangerous in these conditions. Rock slides, mud slides, avalanches – you can be stuck for days without supplies. We have to be careful." Her hair was soft against his cheek. They were safe from the wind. The builders from the village had shown him the difference between hand sawn boards and cabins built from full trunks. You could cut trunks stripped of limbs and leaves to fit into one another. Miroku had suggested that a woman like Kagome might prefer the more stylish honmune with the suzume-odori ornament hanging from the gable. Wooden boards would bear the full weight of a blizzard better than straw. A strong roof over his wife's head would set him at ease.

"Do you really like our house?"

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful." Kagome twisted her shoulders. "Although we still have to decorate. Everything is still in boxes! It might need a good scrub after being empty for two weeks, you know. My mom trained us to keep a cleaning schedule for chores."

"Do you like the bird?"

"What bird?"

"The bird over the door. Totosai made it." Inuyasha huffed. Kagome's eyes glazed over while she remembered their house. Weeks and weeks of his life had gone into curing boards and sanding rough edges! Picking the style, cutting the trees, helping the craftsman even out the soil and Kagome didn't remember the damned bird!

"The thing over the door is a bird?" Inuyasha's head hit the floor in frustration. "Oh! It's a bit abstract. I was expecting an actual wooden carving instead of the dark wooden V-shape. Now I remember what you mean. That's a really great idea. They are lucky guardians."

"It's 'longevity, luck and long love' right? What? That's what Sango said! I don't give a damn." Embarrassment and frustration made him turn his back to her. A quiet giggle broke the silence. Gentle hands touched his back. He could feel her kiss through his shirt. The touch made him blush.

"It can also mean companionship, happiness and hope."

"Whatever. Totosai picked the guardian." He rested his head on his arm. Mischievous hands took advantage of his posture to hug him. A deeper flush colored his cheeks. The knot holding his shirt closed came apart easily in her nimble fingers. Hours of work for a stupid lucky guardian and she had barely noticed! Women! They want pretty houses but don't care how it gets built. The stroke over his chest and abdomen made him twitch.

"Why do we need a house guardian when I have you?" The flirtatious tone perked his ears. Soft fingers counted his ribs. "We have each other for prosperity and good fortune, although you are too quiet to make noise in the dark."

"Yeah? So what do canines symbolize?"

"Well, love - " Kagome grinned when he rolled to face her. "Courage. Loyalty. Devotion – dogs are one of the twelve zodiac animals you know. There's the rat, the ox, the rooster, the rabbit, the horse, the goat – dog, tiger, monkey, boar, snake. The dragon is last, of course. Did you know when families rebelled against the Emperor they were called earth spiders?"

"Hmm-hmm." The smooth expanse of Kagome's throat beckoned him. She giggled and squirmed when he kissed her. Her breathing hitched when he managed to unzip her cute pale jacket. The silky shirt underneath was surprisingly insulated against the piercing cold. She volunteered to lift her arms to discard the fabric. It didn't take long to strip her out of the hakama and cuffed boots. The little hut was quiet except for his wife's excited little gasps and the gas expanding in the lantern. He vaguely considered how well they might keep her thin-skinned feet dry in the snow rather than traditional footwear – not that he knew any proper cobblers in the village. Totosai might be able to bend the leather into place and attach metallic rivets.

The sleeping bag itched his bare skin but it retained the warmth from their lovemaking. Kagome sighed happily into his chest. His skin was exposed to the frigid air but he said nothing. The pale, happy girl nuzzling his chest was covered. The wind still railed against the thick wooden beams but the hut held its ground. The dark hair spilled over his shoulder smelled like home.

"Skin-to-skin contact is a good survival technique." Fingers traced his biceps. Her forearm stretched past him to claim an uneaten granola bar. She leaned on her elbow and tore the wrapper with her teeth. He tucked his arms behind his head comfortably. "We have to keep our energy up."

"If you want to get undressed every time it snows, I don't mind." He grinned at her.

"Pervert." The word sounded like an insult but she blushed. She balled up the wrapper and tossed it towards the packs. "Although speaking of snow, winter should be nice this year. No chasing demons through the snow or huddled in the forest. We could host dinners at the house! Mama has a Shogi board in one of the closets."

"Never played. What's that?"

"You have a board with two players at war. Each player commands their pieces and they do battle. It's the Game of Generals. We should totally get a board for the house! You might be a really good player. I just hope it doesn't end up like that game of mahjong."

"I won that game! Miroku cheats."

"Do you think they have hot cocoa? I would love something sweet." Kagome peeked at the distant shelves. He vaguely remembered the taste of the powdered drink. When Kagome pouted, he sighed. Crawling out of the fabric enclosure he pulled on his clothes to search the dried goods. The adorable girl beaming at him like her hero made him smirk. She clapped her hands when he found the right tin. The miracle of hot water mixed with the brown powder to form a steaming, fragrant drink. Kagome wrapped herself in his coat before she dared sit up from the sleeping bag. He sat cross-legged beside her.

"Thank you, husband."

"Yeah, whatever." He crossed his arms. The girl smiled at him over her cup.

Inuyasha unbarred the door and cursed at the snow piling on the trail outside. He left Kagome to enjoy her cocoa while he shoveled the path clear to the toilet. The trail leading to the lip of the crater was thick with snow. They would not be climbing the mountain in time for the sunrise. Thick icicles clung to the side of their temporary shelter. He cleared them for good measure. Water would not come from the metal pump so he abandoned the metal bucket. The summit looming overhead made him glad they had stayed. A small tumble of snow and rock had blocked one of the trails leading upward. Easy enough for him to traverse but a human would struggle.

"My cocoa!" Kagome covered her cup when they reemerged fully dressed. They stood at the rails when the first streaks of light broke through the cloudy mist. Red, yellow, orange – through the white frozen water. Pink and yellow reflected off the white snow. The shadows of the night changed around them.

"It's beautiful, Inuyasha! Wow." Her innocent smile widened. The peace of the quiet, snow-covered mountain etched itself into his soul. Relatively untouched compared to other pieces of Kagome's land, the Great Mountain welcomed the new day. The smoke and filth of the surrounding cities could not climb so high into the heavens. He tilted his head back to inhale the fresh crisp air pushing him towards the edge.

"Eh, Inuyasha!"

Several white mice chirped as they darted past. Kagome squealed and jumped into his arms. He frowned at the sudden tuft of flame in the distance. More and more small bursts of light colored the pristine snow. Kagome yelled about their things but it was too late. The mountainside hut was already going up in an unnatural wildfire. Squeaking white mice left melted tracks in their wake – their warm paws melting the snow itself.

"I told you to kill it, didn't I? Inuyasha, our supplies!"

"Oh, shit. Stay!" Inuyasha burst alone into the hut. Flames and smoke were everywhere. Cursing the horde of rats underneath, he leapt to the remains of Kagome's sleeping bag. Ruined. He managed to grab the larger of the packs that contained the remainder of their food. The smaller pack was already peeling back as mice swarmed inside. The canvas burst into flame at every contact. He covered his mouth with his sleeve. The severity of the heat was unusual. It was closer to the intensity of the magma pits surrounding Totosai's home than a normal campfire. White and blue flames destroyed the extra futons and the furnishings.

"Inuyasha, we have to - "

"We have to run. Come on!" With Kagome safely on his back, he leapt to the top of the snow-covered fence. Squeaking white mice were almost indistinguishable from the snow except for the growing puddles of water. If they turned, the mice would be hard to avoid. As several crossed underneath he avoided the temptation to strike with the Tetsusaiga. A blast from the sword might kill the mice but would absolutely cause the snow overhead to avalanche. He ran along the safety fence until the mice were behind them.

"Are they demons?"

"Oh, what now?" Inuyasha skidded to a stop. The mice were gathering together on the snow in an indistinguishable pile. Squeaking, crying mice were clumping together and crawling over one another. The mass turned as a group in their direction. Hundreds of small, red eyes blinked in their direction. The rising form grew in power in the light of the burning hut. Kagome's knees pressed harder into his ribs while the horde of mice finalized becoming one. The collective power of the smaller mice intensified in the new creature. It continued to grow in size until it filled the lower path that blocked their escape downwards. Lava dripped from its gaping mouth onto the rock.

"Fire-Rat, Fire-Rat!" Kagome slapped him. "The legends say they live in active volcanoes!"

"Fire-Rat? Fuck!" Despite his confusion, he could sense the danger. The enormous demon sniffed the air. Where the mice had borne tails, the Fire-Rat had flame. It tilted its head in their direction. The heat boiling the surroundings made him sweat even at a distance.

There was no safe path around the Fire-Rat; the heat would cook Kagome instantly. He turned instead to dart as quickly as he could up the rocky, frozen path. The demon's weight shook the ground as it charged. It barreled into the side of the mountain as he sailed overhead. Bounding upwards from rock to rock, the creature had limited intelligence. It charged the rock again but seemed to take no damage. Snow and ice melted underfoot to make the climb more treacherous. Inuyasha barely avoided a sudden projected flame. It licked at his heels and drove him faster up the crevasse. If the idiot demon melted too much of the snow, the weight above would have nothing to support it! The whole mountain could come down on their heads. Any wooden arrow Kagome might have shot at the demon would melt before the spell could take hold.

"Where did it go?" Kagome yelled over the wind. The demon had disappeared.

"We're not lucky enough for it to give up. Hold on!" Inuyasha trusted his instincts. The demon was a native of the mountain and knew the terrain better. Mountain caves and tunnels would provide a good way to ambush them, especially with the entrances covered in snow. He trusted Kagome to keep her grip while he ignored the path. The race to the lip of the crater was their only hope. On flat ground they could make a plan without worrying about an avalanche. Snow would melt on the Fire-Rat but it could kill Kagome instantly. The image of his human wife with a broken neck roused rage in his chest. It gave him the energy needed to make the final leap to the top.

Wind, snow, ice, rock – barren. Inuyasha moved behind a sizable boulder to break the wind shear. Her lips were practically blue.

"K-keep the robe! You need it to fight the r-rat." Kagome shook her head.

"You need it more. You're freezing to death." Inuyasha dropped the pack. Kagome's limbs were too stiff to fight him when he draped the resistant fabric around her shoulders and covered her head. Her thick fingers pulled it tight around herself. The danger of frostbite was very real. He remembered men with missing fingers lost to severe winters trapped in the forest. Children would get lost in sudden blizzards and die in the hay outside their huts.

"S-Sakuya-hime!" Kagome whispered into a white cloud. "Sakuya-hime, please!"

Inuyasha pressed her to the stone when the mountain underneath trembled. It was not a goddess but the Fire-Rat. Burrowing through the center of the crater, the aflame rodent broke through the earth. It twisted its head curiously to find their scent. Even the earth around it burned and pulled away as it pulled itself up. The mountain rumbled again as steam rose from the new break in the packed ash. Lava burned in the rat's footsteps as it searched.

"V-volcano," Kagome whispered. "If the rat awakens the mountain, we'll die. My family could be in danger! Lava would destroy the Well."

"So we kill it before it calls its friend. I swore to protect you, didn't I?" Inuyasha kissed her quickly. Tetsusaiga easily came free from its sheath. The blade transformed effortlessly into its true form. The rat turned in the crater. Its fire-tail swung in his direction unknowingly and he ducked. Without the protection of the robe, he felt the searing heat. Small holes burned clear through his shirt. It seemed preoccupied by a certain scent.

Have you faced the Fire-Rat before, Tetsusaiga? How did the Old Man kill it?

Inuyasha suspected the Wind Scar would not work. The amount of wind at this altitude was interfering with his nose. He could not use the Backlash Wave until the creature attacked with something other than heat and flames – but he could not give up the advantage of surprise. Kagome was counting on him to protect her. His wife needed him to end the Fire-Rat before it caused the mountain to spew fire and death on her village. There would be precious little he could do once that happened.

"Adamant Barrage!" The onslaught of piercing, glittering stone flew from Tetsusaiga's surface. The adamant pierced the unsuspecting Fire-Rat's molten skin. Its wail hurt its ears as it struggled. As it fought to stay upwards, he sent another wave at the creature.

"Enough, enough!" A voice commanded. Inuyasha turned in preparation to battle the rat's mistress. A phenomenally young princess in bustling layers of red and pink kimono glared at him. A large, expensive fan gestured in his direction. "How dare you attack one of my loyal pets?"

"The rat attacked my wife. Who the hell are you?" He kept one eye on the creature. The spears of adamant were slowly breaking apart under the extreme heat. Soon the Fire-Rat would be free to charge at them again. Like Princess Abi and her birds, he would kill the master to stop the demonic servant.

The young woman glared. The steam rising from the crater increased. The mountain rumbled.

"Sakuya-hime!" Kagome barreled into his side. The girl sank to her knees to apologize profusely. "Sakuya-hime, please stop the rat! It attacked without provocation. We meant it no harm."

"Without provocation? You wear the flesh of his dead mate!" A wide flourish showed the detail in her kimono. Inhumanely detailed gold stitch decorated her vibrantly red silk. The angry girl pointed her fan at him! "It smells the Robe on your human. How dare you return to this mountain, flesh-ripper! You kill one of my beloved creatures to pad her backside! You have returned to make it a matching pair?"

"I'm no thief! It was a gift from my father."

"Another blasphemous hound on my mountain!" The princess wrinkled her nose. Her fan opened effortlessly. He stepped back when he realized it was no ordinary object. Glowing characters sparked to life on the dark wooden spine. The Fire-Rat was almost free of the adamant stones.

"Sakuya-hime, please!"

"There must be punishment for such arrogance." Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome protectively. The flames coiled around them in a vortex. It was warm enough to burn away the very air. He buried Kagome's head in his chest and prayed that she survived. The Robe was fire-proof and virtually indestructible. Even if the flames destroyed him, his wife might live.

The sword in his hand pressed against her back. If the sheath could put up a barrier against lightning, it might survive the fire. She could take the Tetsusaiga and try to make it down the side. Trapped in the walls of the spinning magma, he kissed her covered head. Pain seared his skin.

"Inuyasha – we're not dead!"

"Don't let go! If there's a break, run for the side. I'll try to hold them off!"

"No, dummy. Open your eyes!" The girl in his arms pinched him. The swirling vortex nearly blinded him with its brightness. Yellow, orange, red, blue, white, purple – more colors than any fire he had ever seen. Kagome beamed at him. Protective reiki covered their bodies like a second skin. The pink light acted like a shield against the attack. The funnel of fire lowered and burned a ring into the packed ash at their feet.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Kagome cupped his face. "You're - "

"So they passed your test," a male voice scoffed.

Sakuya-hime tapped her closed fan against her mouth. Inuyasha kept Tetsusaiga and its sheath pressed against his wife's back just in case. The pouting princess sat. Before she could fall a cloud of smoke swept by to create a grand chair with red cushions and a tall back. She slumped slightly into the support.

"Test? That was a stupid TEST?"

"No mortal can defeat me! They must have cheated," Sakuya sighed. "My lord Ninigi-no-Mikoto must be playing a trick with Uzume. Which is your family, half-demon? Which clan has sent you here to wear on my patience?"

"Ame-no-Uzume sent us up this mountain to find answers!" Kagome pushed away. Her foot stomped in the soft earth. "We are not playing a game. You sent the Fire-Rat to attack us, didn't you? It chased us up the mountain!"

"It was rude of you to change your plans when I have been waiting," the goddess tipped her head. "Your husband would not let you climb the mountain to see the New Dawn; you forced my hand. How did you survive my Whirlwind of Flame?"

"The girl withstood your fire. She has earned her prize." The voice belonged to the air. Inuyasha scowled in preparation for another battle. Mist coiled and formed beside Sakuya. A nondescript male shape formed dressed in layers of traditional gray-and-white kimono. It had no face.

"Not until I am sure they have not deceived me!"

"How thin is your focus! Ame-no-Uzume surely sensed your connection. The dancer is wise in her way." The stranger laughed. Sakuya's sharp eyes glared. Inuyasha stayed between the approaching spirit and his wife. It walked in a calm, slow circle around them. "Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage - "

"Stop it!"

"When oh when will you be free?" The voice laughed softly. Inuyasha recognized the creepy song Uzume had used to taunt his bride. He snarled at the form. The Wind Scar might not be effective against a spirit formed from mist. Kagome made a pained noise against his spine.

"Stop singing before I tear your throat out!"

"In the night of the dawn, the crane and turtle came down," Sakuya recited. Kagome pressed harder to his back when the volcano goddess joined the game. Both turned in a slow, luxurious circle around them, following the track made by the Whirlwind. Their taunting expressions made him ache for blood. How dare they hurt Kagome? Why she hated the song, he didn't know, but it seemed to cause her physical pain. White-knuckled hands clenched onto his shirt.

"Who is behind you now?"

"Kuninotokotachi," Kagome sobbed. His wife dropped to her knees. The overlong sleeves of the Robe pressed against her face. The scent of her tears tore at his gut. Inuyasha bared his teeth at the jerks. He was extremely tempted to gut the faceless moron!

"Fascinating! But which one of them is it?"

"The human, ne? Given in marriage to a half-demon!"

"Kagome? Kagome! Don't cry." He kept his attention on the circling spirits but he crouched. The broken hiccups were like a blade to his chest. "It's just a song, wench."

"Then why does it hurt?" Kagome touched her chest. The hidden kagome on her chest had roared to life. It shone through her clothing. The spirits had regrouped to study his wife like one of her books. "Oh, Inuyasha. It hurts! I hate that song! Please don't let them sing anymore."

Inuyasha took another long breath. It failed to satisfy him but the air was thin. He ignored his own exhaustion to focus on his wife. If their enemies learned that a children's song had this effect, she could be in danger! At least she was wrapped warmly in his Robe. The early morning air just past sunrise made his skin tingle. Now that the Whirlwind had faded the soles of his feet were beginning to ache inside. Sheer willpower prevented him from collapsing. The battle with the Fire-Rat must have taken more out of me than I thought.

"Inuyasha? Oh, Inuyasha!"