Blue moon and Red Fire

Chapter 22: Trapped

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First off, i'd like to say thanks to all the readers, officially on January 27th, this story has been going for an entire year! Even though at the moment it's far later then that. 22 chapters, that's almost twice a month update. Except for that last few months that is. College and work are two life killing endeavors, especially if taken at the same time, I hardly have time to write at all, but I’ve resolved to finish this story. Not just a half-assed one, I’m gonna write this out fully. Luckily I’m a few chapters ahead of this one. Hang in there, chapter 33 is gonna be really good, better then this one! And since I’m a good number head, and in honor of one of my favorite shows LOST going away until next year, I’m gonna update all of my running stories two times this month and next, to tie any of you fellow lost fans over a bit. And December’s double post will be in honor of 24 coming back in January, if any of you watch that show.

I'd especially like to thank

Elizabeth Spiegel, Rob, Kouga's hentai lover, Atropa, Flame, and Storm

For being some of my more frequent reviewers, thanks for the motivation to continue this story. And for everyone else who came and saw this story, drop me a review, thanks.

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Day 1

“So...what do we do?” Souta stared at the swirling sands deep below him that held almost a hypnotic attribute to it. He couldn't seem to draw his eyes away from it, watching in pure disbelief. For a moment he felt numb, knowing what he saw with his own eyes yet unable to comprehend and take what had just happened for what it really was. It just didn't seem possible, real even, that they were down there, trapped, maybe even dead. He half expected Inuyasha to simply climb up and appear right before him, and it was better for him to feel this way, because if he felt entirely all of the possibilities, the very real possibilities as Houjo did. He'd probably breakdown and cry.

Houjo was silent for a moment,standing idly near the edge, staring down, but his focus was set on the wall more then the whirl pool. It seemed so odd... for it to be this smooth. “I...” He tilted his head back and stared at the sky, his breathing grew harsher, and a swelling came to his chest making his heart feel heavy. It was all overwhelming, only being able to watch...where they...where they...'Why...why did they have to just run off like that...why...'

“What are we suppose to do now!” Souta screamed, and Houjo flinched. The boy slowly backed away from the edge, his vision blurring from hot tears, and he quickly wiped them away furiously with his sleeve.

Houjo stared at Souta, fixed on the young, inarticulate anger and deep, barely repressed sorrow in his eyes. Such eyes, such an expression could only be expressed by a child. “I'm not sure...” He didn't want to believe they could very well be dead, drowned in the sands, something like that didn't seem possible, not Inuyasha and Kouga. But his mind wouldn't let him believe such an unreality, it was all very real to him that there was nothing left...

Souta pushed himself off the ground and climbed to his feet with sloppy steps. His fist clinched at his side and his jaw was set tightly, sniffling every so often and quickly wiping away tears. “We have to go find them.” He said surely, he never felt so set on anything in his life, he never wanted to do something so unrelentingly that he felt as though he'd lost all desire to continue to value his own life. He could have ceased to exist at the very moment, as long as he finished this task before doing it. And he was too angry to realize this loss of will to live beyond the sense of fearlessness it gave him. “We have to get down there.”

Houjo on the other had, began to feel the same numbness Souta had felt. There was a senselessness that came over him, he no longer felt any sense of time, any sense of direction, any sense of himself, any sense of purpose, even any sense of Inuyasha and Kouga. He felt...empty. He felt no emotion either way towards what had just happened, all of it was just gone...Maybe something was wrong? “Yeah, it seems that way....”

Souta looked at him questioningly, his eyes searching and afraid, trying to understand what he was seeing the older boy, what he was hearing in his voice. Or more accurately, what he wasn't seeing and wasn't hearing. “Houjo, what's wrong with you?” The sorrow, the hopelessness he felt increased experientially at the thought something could actually be wrong with Houjo, right now of all times. He couldn't see any emotion on the older boy, wasn't he sad? Wasn't he angry? From what Souta could see he was just there, it was like he'd lost the energy to even put some semblance of life in his words.

Houjo shook his head, ”Nothing.” Their was an advantage to such an empty feeling, he could think rationally and unobjectively. “I don't see any accessible way down there, the only way I can think of is if we find some equipment and climb down.”

“You mean like...the stuff people use for rock climbing?” Souta asked, his face twinging in disappointment. “Where would we get that?”

“There's only one place I can think of.”

“So you mean...we have to go...all the way back?” Souta's heart sank at that, realizing how far a trip that was, back to the well. That would take days on their own.... Souta nodded to himself, he didn't have time to stand here and think about it, the faster they left, the faster they'd get back. “We should get going then.”

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...

Cold...

Dark..

Pain....

'...'

“...” Inuyasha shuttered inanely, the involuntary spasm unwillingly managed to move certain parts of his body that were in no condition to be moved. '...!' “Un...” He cringed, taking in a deep, gasping breath, and then he coughed. It was a horrible sensation, feeling the coarse grains of sand burning up his throat and spewing out of his mouth. No matter how much he coughed, he still felt like there was something wedged in some hidden crease or stuck somewhere and wouldn't dislodge itself.

It wasn't just his mouth or throat, it was his entire body, it was gritty and irritated with sand coated on everything. “What...what the hell...” His voice was weak and scratchy, his mouth was so dry he could barely even speak. Feeling all of the sand, he thought twice about opening his eyes, he lifted his hand to-- '!!' “Unaaa...” He let out a startled yelp of pain and halted in his movements, his left arm, he wasn't sure what was wrong with it, but as soon as he made a twinge of a move it began to hurt with a stabbing pain, an intense one. Luckily his right arm didn't and he had no problem lifting it, aside from the inhabitation of what felt like walls that constricted him. Inuyasha rubbed the sand away and opened his eyes, and found himself staring at a wall, or more accurately a chunk of the ground that had broken off. He could see bare traces of sunlight shining from a hole up above, allowing him to see himself and surroundings dimly. He was standing upright, or at least propped up that way, covered in blood, which made the sand stick to his open wounds.

He felt something else just as cold as he was.

Inuyasha tilted his head back and glanced over his shoulder, and there was Kouga. The wolf rested lifelessly on his feet, stuck limply between Inuyasha and the wall, hopefully unconscious and just as bloody as he was. “K-Kouga?” Inuyasha felt a chill, unrelated to the cold, run across his body when he saw Kouga. Maybe he wouldn't have felt as strongly as he had if realized just to what extent his own injuries were, a worry, stronger then he'd ever felt for the Youkai, gripped him. His heart began to pound and his mind began to race with all the grim thoughts and possibilities. “Kouga.” Inuyasha called out, sending a sharp elbow into Kouga's side, his heart jumped when he heard no response or even felt no movement. No, he couldn't be dead could he? Not Kouga, it wasn't possible, not someone as strong as him...

Wake up Kouga, come on, wake up...please, wake up...“Wake up damn you.” Inuyasha growled, thrusting backwards even harder with his right arm into Kouga's side. He was just sleeping right? Damn wolf, sleeping at a time like this, why didn't he wake up! “Wake up!” Come on...wake up...wake up...please, wake up... “Kouga!”

'....'

“Uha...”

Inuyasha couldn't describe the relief he felt. He was so angry at Kouga he could strangle him for making him feel that way, it would have quelled the transcendental burst of tense energy if he could only grab Kouga in some way and squeeze with all of his strength, it was surprising to find that this relieved longing wasn't restricted to merely aggressive and violent action. 'Kouga...' Since such actions weren't available, he was only able to speak to him. “Kouga!” He shouted.

“....Un...”

Recognizing this groggy disjointedness in his voice, Inuyasha decided screaming at him wouldn't be the best course of action. “Kouga....Kouga....”

All at once Kouga's half conscious mind recalled the memories of his last consciousness, it flared in him like a white, hot heat had been ignited. “H-Houjo!” He shouted, his eyes shooting open. But almost immediately his voice seized by violent coughs, nearly vomiting as he expelled the sand in his throat and lungs, his stomach ached from what ever amount he had to have ingested. “A...aaaahhh!” His head fell back and he cried out in pain, feeling every patch of torn skin, every laceration being stung horribly by the salty sand sticking to him.

A worried empathy came over Inuyasha, feeling the same sensations, though it seemed Kouga had injuries more intense then those he suffered himself. “Hey...Hey...Kouga...take it easy.”

Kouga clinched his jaw shut and quelled his voice when he heard Inuyasha, his eyes squeezed so tightly his vision became a flashing white. It took him a moment to gain control over himself, sounding as someone who was holding back a sneeze or a cough, some involuntary action that would cause him to out burst. “In...Inuyasha? Where...where are you?” His voice was weak and strained, it was clear in his voice that he wanted to just scream but held back.

“I'm right behind you.” Inuyasha said.

“Where...are...we?”

“I don't know.” Inuyasha thought on himself, and on Kouga, knowing Kouga wouldn't just scream like that unless his pain was intense. Inuyasha, though everything hurt with a throbbing ache in time with his pulse, felt as though he could handle it, as long as his left arm wasn't disturbed and he didn't move around to much. Kouga, however, was perfectly still and in so much pain he could barely stand it. Inuyasha, out of some intense curiosity, wished he could examine every inch of Kouga himself and find out what was wrong with him. “That damn thing must have put us somewhere.”

“Under....the desert.” Kouga coughed out, remembering very faintly falling over the edge of the cliff. He could remember Houjo, and Souta, their faces...Kouga winced slightly when he remembered Inuyasha bloody form. He clinched his eyes shut, his entire body tight and constricted.

Inuyasha could feel how tight he was against his back. “We gotta get out of here...” Inuyasha peeked over his shoulder. “Kouga?”

Kouga didn't answer, his jaw was clinched so tightly his teeth ached, the pain, it was so intense, he didn't think he'd ever felt anything this strongly before. The only way he could keep from yelling at the top of his lungs was to hold his breath, every few seconds when he was forced to come up for air, a few half voiceless wines seeped out.

Inuyasha flinched in a half awkward apprehension when he heard the sound, he could even define it as painful too listen to...maybe it wasn't that severe a reaction, but he certainly didn't like it. “What's...what's wrong?” Inuyasha felt completely awkward, even embarrassed to ask the question.”You think your gonna be able to get out of here on your own?”

“Maybe...”

Inuyasha lifted his right arm to the chunk of ground that had sunk down with them, and attempted to pull himself up. But his muscles wouldn't agree, he was so weak, he could barely even find the strength to lift his arm, let alone pull himself up. Not willing to give up, he pushed down with his legs, about to attempt a jump, '!!' When the ground underneath him sank unstably before he could even get his feet off the ground, it was extremely clear to him he wouldn't have anything strong enough to repel off of to attempt such an action. Not that he had enough strength in his legs to make it.

'!!' “Uuuggaaa!” Kouga screamed a sharp outcry before clamping his jaw shut again and whining in silent pain.

“What? What is it?” Inuyasha asked quickly.

“My...My legs!” Which is where most of Kouga's pain lay. He could only hope they were just broken, if he wasn't at full height against Inuyasha, he wouldn't have even been sure they were still there.

Inuyasha sighed, feeling a broader sense of despair over their current condition starting to wean over him. “Oh great.” He was stuck here, too weak to be a threat to any thing, into much pain to do much anyway, he didn't think he would be standing right now if there wasn't any room to do other wise. No way, he couldn't be stuck in here, he had to get back to Souta, he had to finish that demon off...Souta...

“Where is...where is it?” Kouga asked, clearly referring to the demon who'd done this to them. It had taken a moment, the pain had caught him off guard, disoriented him, scattered his senses. But he'd gathered himself now, focusing away from it as best he could. Kouga clinched on to another large piece of the ground that had sank to this level with them, this, along with the one in front of Inuyasha, and the piece they were standing on, was the only thing managing to hold back the dry sand surrounding them. With what strength he had left, he attempted to use it to take as much of his weight as he could off of his legs, but it was clear to him already he wouldn't be able to climb up, not in this condition.

“I don't know.” Inuyasha said, “I don't smell it, maybe it's not here.” But on the other hand... “We gotta get out of here...”

Kouga didn't respond, he didn't hear a sound, and Inuyasha didn't like it at all, 'Kouga...' He could feel the constricted, tense muscles of Kouga's back trembling against his own, he didn't like it at all.

“...” Kouga's face cringed and contorted in pain, wondering what could possibly be this wrong with him to hurt this much for this long. He wished he could just pass out again, sleep until this pain ended, or at lest lessened.

Inuyasha couldn't stand this, he tried to ignore the wolf's condition, ignore the suffering that radiated off the wolf in waves, so strongly it was as oppressive as a depression. It even felt like a depression, the choking feeling in his throat, the weight in his chest like someone was pushing down his heart. Inuyasha lowered his head and stared at the darkness covering the ground. Damnit, Kouga should have spoke, he should have complained, he should have retorted how much he hated being stuck down here with him, Inuyasha would have settled for anything. It felt strange, it was unnatural, for Kouga to be like this, it wasn't right, and Inuyasha held a deep contempt for what ever was causing Kouga to be like this, whatever pain made him this way. “...”

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Night came quickly, so quickly that Souta hadn't even realized it until he could no longer see beyond a few feet in front of him for the darkness.

That was when Houjo, grudgingly, was forced to stop. Well, It was more to Souta's detriment then Houjo's, if Souta had his way they wouldn't have stopped for anything. But it couldn't be helped, neither of their bodies seemed to agree with them, fatigue set in, neither of them had the stamina, nor the eye sight to keep going like this. It felt like everything was working against them, the world, that strange monsters, their own weaknesses.

Souta let himself fall to his knees, taking in deep, heavy gasping breaths of the chilled night air. For a moment he couldn't speak, merely existing in his thoughts until his body recovered. “...” He wanted to speak, he wanted to say, to scream out something, he wanted to simply cry out, but he couldn't find the right words to say everything that was going on in side of him. There was some thoughtless notion pulsing in the back of his mind that he didn't have to even think about this. That he merely had to move as fast as possible to help Inuyasha and this would all be over with.

Houjo, with his bike and sword resting against a tree beside him, sat down on the soft ground in a sloppy motion, his heart pounding from hours of onward travel. He wondered how much distance they'd gone. “Are you hungry?” He asked, though at the moment he detested mention of food, his appetite had so far retreated from him that the idea of eating would be nauseating...But he felt...fine.. Houjo stared upward at the leaves buried in shadow, increasingly gaining the notion that something wasn't right with him.

“No.” Souta shook his head, there was the same deterrent in him as there was in Houjo. He was too anxious to eat, and he didn't have the desire for it, even thinking of food would be incomprehensible right now. “We have to keep going.”

Houjo, in numbness, didn't feel a passion either way, he only knew what his body related to him, and at the moment he was more keenly aware of his limits then ever. “We have to stop and rest, at lest for a little while.”

Souta stared at him silently, maybe he should be glad for this, the longer he was still, the more deep tired urges rose up in him. Why was he so tired? He shouldn't have been this tired, not when time counted like this, not now. In fact, he just now began to realize the cold in his extremities and the chill that clung to his skin, he shivered. “Maybe...” With a sigh he began listlessly going about the task of creating a fire, it wasn't hard to find materials.

It wasn't too long before a flame was roaring before them, he felt a little better knowing he'd gotten some practice.

“You think...they're...alright?” Souta finally asked again, his head turned shyly to the side, his eyes focused idly on the ground. He knew they weren't in good shape, that much he was certain of, and he didn't know what answer he was seeking. What he'd heard before sounded more like a reflex, an inane response then something Houjo had actually thought about.

Houjo watched Souta, unsure of what he would say. He wish he could just lie, say something that would easily make Souta feel better, but Souta wasn't *that* young. It would only make him feel that he was being patronized and infuriate him, if there was one thing that Souta hated, it was being treated that way. He hated being lied to so the severity of something was hidden from him, he hated being put off when he wanted to help, and he hated being lied to so some could just make him feel better, like he was a screaming child in a public place that someone just wanted to shut up and behave. Each day Souta be came increasingly determined not to be seen as just a kid in the way, and though his maturated level had increased affluently, though the good traits of his character had been reinforced, though he'd seen and been through a good deal in a short time. He seemed to be forgetting that he was still just a kid, he thought like a kid, he had the strength of a kid, and at times he acted child like. Houjo felt divided on how to actually handle this. “...I don't know.” He told him truthfully.

“...” Souta was still, sitting with his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. He lifted his eyes from the ground and looked at Houjo reluctantly. “Are you ok Houjo?” He finally asked.

“Huh?” At first the question didn't occur to him, his mind didn't even comprehend it, he was about to simply say 'yeah' and be done with it. But Souta was looking at him, and when he looked into those sorrowful brown eyes, he remember that the boy had asked him this before, and he didn't look that concerned last time. ' Am I acting that different?' Sure Houjo felt differently then he usually did, but he thought he was asking normal at the very lest, he felt like he was. “ I think so.” Which was the problem, he felt fine and he shouldn't have.

“Think so?” Souta asked questioningly. “What do you mean think so?” A person was either ok or they weren't, wasn't Houjo sure of which one?” How could that be, wasn't it simple? Either you feel ok, or you didn't. Again, Souta hadn't realize that he was thinking just as Houjo knew he would, only to the surface of things, to the tangle or the obvious, like a child.

For Houjo, things weren't that clearly defined. He didn't feel...much of anything, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. '...'

'!!'

Souta flinched and swallowed hard, a twinge, like static that raised the hairs on the back of his neck and trickled against his skin in a extraneous sense. He could feel it washing over him from the direction of a faint noise in the forest. “...Oh man, not now...”

Houjo looked at Souta, then in the direction of the sound behind him, straining his eyes in an attempt to see into the darkness beyond his normal range. “What? What is it?”

Souta flinched and let out a startled yelp, “That thing, i-it's coming.” Souta said, quickly scrambling defensively to his feet and looked around frantically. A familiar fear swept over him... Much to his dismay he couldn't see anything.

“Now?!” Houjo, like a spark had ignited a sudden blaze inside of him, he lept up from where he sat and immediately withdrew the sword from where it rested beside him. Another sound, of rustling leaves this time, was heard in a sharp jerk behind him and he searched for it tensely. It wasn't coming, the thing was already here, somewhere in the darkness. “Great....”

Souta looked around nervously, standing frozen in the same spot for a full minute that seemed like an eternity. As much of him that wished this wasn't happening at all, also wished that it would simply come out, they knew it was there, it probably knew they knew. So why was it waiting? He hated this with a passion, standing here, not knowing from where or when it would attack, yet knowing it was coming all the while. It was like torture, and maybe this was what the thing wanted all along in this action, to make him feel this-- “Houjo! Look out!”

'!!' With out hesitation Houjo moved, pushing off and dashing to the side, not knowing which way he should go or why, just that he had to move. He had to admit, he was proud of his reflexes. And just as soon a tightly wrapped mass of the fleshy pink tentacles came flying from the darkness and past Houjo's back, pounding into a tree hard enough to leave a deep, caved in, impact mark ensuring that the tree would fall sometime in the near future. It was horrifying if only for the darkness, with his heart racing and every nerve he had on high tension, Houjo turned around, sword raised, and slashed into the bound arm.

The way they were bound together, made them almost seem as muscles in an arm extending a fist.
Houjo's eyes narrowed in a horrified frustration when he felt the resistance, this time the tentacles were more tightly bound forming a chain mail like exterior, it was harder, and his blade only went to the surface, severing a few near the top... 'It must have changed from the last time...' Houjo felt like he was in a match of wits with this demon, every time he encountered it it came back with better tactics and better attacks, and his chances on success depended on how quickly he adapted himself to it. 'The front, it's always weaker in the front...maybe if I could...'

Souta nervously pushed himself out of his frozen state and lifted his crossbow with a swift, jerky movement, his hands trembling and his chest swelling with fear. He was so nervous, he was almost dizzy, exulted on an excitement of the worst kind. “Come on!” He pulled the trigger, and even with his unsteady aim he still managed to strike the retreating mass with an arrow, the projectile was met with a spray of the oily liquid that constantly coated it. And a few of it's appendages around the outside began to turn a deadened brown. He was in the same shape as Houjo it seemed, as far as weapons damage went. “Oh man, we can't beat this thing!”

“Don't say that Souta.” Houjo's voice was tense, his body forced into a state of looseness, attempting to emulate the comfortable condition Kouga carried in fights, trying to emulate his reaction time, his reflexes.

“It's coming from the side!” Souta shouted, so afraid that his voice choked and his words stopped abruptly. His entire body trembled now, his ears rang deafly and popped uncomfortably and repeatedly, this fear, he hated it with a passion.

Silently, from the shrouded darkness, another arm thrust rigidly from a different place, faster this time, too fast for Houjo. It slammed into his back with a loud impact, knocking him disorientatedly forward, off of his feet, and sending him sliding along the ground until his back came against a tree. All the while he was there, trying to retain himself, cringing from the pain burning across his back, the entire time he couldn't help thinking strongly that he'd heard it, about a 2 second before it had struck he'd heard it coming.

“Houjo!” Souta shuttered, feeling his heart skip a beat, his stomach, his entire abdomen was twitching. His throat contracted and he felt that he would vomit, this wasn't the time to be feeling like this! “Whaa!” The second he took a step towards Houjo, another arm came shooting out of the darkness in front of him, thrusting past him so close it nearly took his head off, he could feel the liquid fling off it's form and into his face. Souta stumbled backward, easily losing his balance and falling to the ground.

No! This was what he'd been training countless hours for, this is what he'd been attempting to prep himself up for, this very moment when he confronted this demon. This is what he'd been trying to get strong for, so he wouldn't freeze, so he wouldn't be come so afraid that it inhibited his movement, so afraid that he was dizzy. Why was he so scared!?

“Ung!” Before he realized it, 3 or 4 tentacles crept towards him from behind, wrapped around his legs and jerked him sharply. He was tugged off of his feet and landed hard on his back, pounding his head. “!?” Before he knew it he was being dragged into the darkness like a hooked fish helplessly being reeled in.. “L-Let me go!” His mind raced with panic and he began struggling wildly, quickly finding it did him no good. He moved instinctively, almost devoid of thought, as if it was in his nature. Souta lifted his cross bow, his mind half panicked, sat up as best he could, and aimed at the source, the place where he was being dragged too, where the sense of the Shikon jewel shard was the strongest. And fired.

The arrow cut through the air, by complete accident it soared through the flame he'd created not to long ago and was, by some chance, it was ignited by the flames and fanned by it's own air currents. Soon enough it was flying flame that cut through the darkness and sliced into the unknown monster hidden behind it. It flared up quickly with a hot, red flash of light when it struck it's target, just out of Souta's view. The pink, flashy appendages binding him turned brown and lifeless, and Souta easily kicked them away. “!!” Immediately the boy ran with stumbling steps to Houjo who had managed to climb to his feet. His heart pounding, sweat trickling down his armpits, and his breathing was nothing more then startled gasps. “Houjo!”

“I'm alright.” Houjo lifted his hand dismissively, the pain was nothing, his mind was fixed simply on his enemy and the battle. The pain was as though it were a part of his existence when he fought, he felt as though it were merely a hindrance, one of his own shortcomings. Something as natural as his lack of strength and stamina, just something he had to work around. “Are you alright?”

Souta ran over to Houjo, his eyes trembling with fear, his movements hasty and sloppy. “We can't beat this thing!” Souta said, looking around fearfully for the next attack, he clinched his fist, trying to keep his arms from shaking. He wanted to run behind Houjo and clinch him tightly with a desperate need for something safe, he wanted hide until it was over, he wanted to escape. He hated himself for this, this fear that froze him, this fear that created countless reactions adding speed to a downward spiral in his miserable mind. Why was he so afraid! He couldn't even force himself to be brave, he was simply moving in necessity. “We have to-”

“Souta, there's no way we'll be able to run from this, you know that.” Houjo lifted his sword and rested it on his shoulder. Very slowly but happening none the less, some semblance of emotion began to trickle back into his voice, into himself, he began to sound less and less normal, less even...

“It's gonna get us, we can't beat this thing!” Souta shook his head in protest, his mind was fixed on the thought, the ideal that this fight, this enemy was impossible for them. “Inuyasha and Kouga-”

“They did all the hard work for us, *this,* we can do.” Houjo said, his voice becoming firm, stiff, strait. His eyes narrowed and he felt something building inside of him, something he couldn't distinguish completely. There was this depressing sorrow that made him want to simply stand there and cry until he was empty again, and this anger, this strange anger...

Souta winced, hearing the rustling of leaves as the creature shifted invisibly in the darkness. He couldn't believe it, how Houjo was so set, so sure that this was something they could win? Didn't he remember what that thing had done before, how bad it had hurt them, what it did to Inuyasha and Kouga? How? How did he think he could stand a chance? “We...No way, we can't beat it...” It always came back bigger and stronger... Souta shook his head, clinching his eyes shut as he felt the heat of coming tears.

Houjo glanced around, keenly aware of every noise he heard, and each one causing a tenseness in his muscles that made him ready to react. Then he nodded to himself decidedly and knelt down in front Souta, looking him strait in the eye. “This is it! No one's gonna come rescue us, no one's gonna save us when we get in trouble. It's just us, just me and you Souta, and we're gonna have to look out for ourselves.”

“...” Souta just looked up at him, his eyes hinting that he wanted to speak, but there was nothing to say. “Houjo...?”

“I've seen you, you work really hard, I know you and I can do this.” Houjo said, and then he smiled at him. It was a little funny to him, that Souta was so focused on how afraid he was that he didn't realize what he'd done.“You already found a weakness.”

“Huh? Weakness?” Souta looked up thoughtfully...Weakness...Weakness?...It came into his mind with a hot, red flash. Fire! “Fire!” Souta shouted with a bright realization, he couldn't believe he didn't notice it, but now that he thought about it...

“See, your doing fine.” Houjo stood to his feet and held the sword readily, He could see it already, Inuyasha and Kouga must have done quite a job because the tentacles were certainly lacking in the usual numbers. 'That oil, it must be flammable.'

Souta took in a deep breath to settle his churning stomaching, Houjo was so confident, it was amazing to him. Houjo made him feel a little better, a little more sure, a little less afraid. The knowledge of a weakness, and Houjo's words had managed to dull the fear in him, at lest for a little while. ”Where is it?” Just that quickly he felt it all starting to return, he remembered why he was so afraid of it in the first place. This thing was enough to re-enforce his fear of the dark.

Houjo grew tense when everything became silent. “I don't know, you tell me.”

Souta took in another deep breath, which didn't seem to be working to settle his stomach or his pounding heart, and closed his eyes. He hated doing this, just standing here, with his eyes closed no less, completely open. But he had little choice, it was the only way he could concentrate enough to feel where the jewel shards were, and congruently the monster. He felt it clearly across his skin, like a blanket of static electricity wrapped around him, but it was strongest.... “Houjo!”

He heard Souta's warning, and right after there was a faint sound, he could barely hear it, and it was fleeting. It sounded like something wet and slick was rubbing against something else. “!!” His heart jumped and quickly he turned around, raising the sword before him defensively with a firm stance. It was no more then a split second, he didn't have time to take another breath before it burst out of the darkness and slammed into the sword. '!!' “Gyhaa!” Houjo was nearly knocked to the ground, his body was pushed backwards in a trail of dust. His mind raced, but rational though prevailed and he noticed the sword and his hands holding it were sinking into the arm A soft spot, 'Weak spot!'

Houjo placed another foot firmly behind him and slipped to it's side before he could be smashed into a tree. Then he dragged the blade across the mass, starting at the soft spot in the center he bypassed the exterior, chain mail like resistance and this time it his sword managed to do some damage, slicing open it in a strait line down the side. “Souta! Hit it now.” He hoped, he begged that Souta would hit it and hit it quickly, because he knew he wasn't fast enough to evade the next attack.

“Ok!” Souta came to a quick stop and dropped down onto his knees, the fire between himself and Houjo. With the crossbow loaded and ready, he didn't have time to aim precisely, he simply lifted the weapon and fired. The arrow cut through the fire, which is when Souta realized that his crossbow had been splattered with the oily liquid covering the monster, luckily making his arrows flammable. The projectile barely catching the heat and streaking through the air in a flare of embers. Much to his delight it sewered into wounded mass, and the flames took on a life of their own from there. The flames ate along the interwoven tentacles faster then Souta's eyes could follow, sweeping across the liquid that coated it, past the tip of Houjo's sword and into some place in the darkness where it came from. The arm fell lifeless and brown on the ground, and the few that had made it through the quickly fleeting flames alive began to recede.

Houjo shook the flames from the sword and sheathe it, his eyes bright with astonishment and excitement. “Souta, that was amazing.”

Souta let out a deep breath and a nervous smile crossed his face, almost in disbelief when he felt his inane sense fade into dormancy, and the monster retreated. “We won?” He asked, almost something too unreal for him to believe. It had to still be out there, it had to still be waiting.

“You see, I told you we could do it.” Houjo smiled back at him, forgetting the pain that had been forced upon his back, forgetting how tired he was when he'd stopped here. There was an energy coursing though him so strongly that he doubted he could sleep now, he didn't even want to do something as simple as sitting. He hadn't felt such an energy since he was a a small, very hyperactive, child. It was almost impossible for him to be idle now, after that, he felt the only thing he was capable of doing was moving forward.

Souta dropped the crossbow where he stood and ran to Houjo, throwing his arms tightly around his waist. “I can't believe we did it....Uh...” Then Souta paused and looked up at Houjo, his eyes becoming nervous and uneasy. “Can we keep going? I don't...think I wanna...stay here.”

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Day 2:

“Damnit! Stop!” Kouga cried out, as loudly as he could, then he clinched his jaw shut again and hissed in pain. His voice echoed off the enclosed walls and bellowed loudly into both of their ears.

Inuyasha pulled away to the little space he had away from Kouga, letting his back fall against the wall, his head tilted back and his eyes steadily fixed upward where a small, patchy hole resided an eternity away. He feared all he did was to aggravate injuries and made weak muscles worse. “...” He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, staring at the wall against his shoulder.
For the last 24 hours Inuyasha had thought of nothing but ways to reach that hole, to escape. He tried numerous methods and every one of them were a failure, his body was too weak, and Kouga was too injured for them to succeed at a task that would normally be so easy. All his efforts had added a dull ache to what was already there and a strong guilt for trying to utilize Kouga, he should have known the wolf was much to hurt for it. He saw all of the wolf's injuries, he'd seen the pain constantly on his face so strongly he couldn't even pass out from his weakness. Kouga hadn't even said anything about the tight space, he should have known not to do anything to endanger Kouga farther. “...you ok?” He offered grudgingly, feeling thoroughly embarrassed for having such a strong desire to ask, feeling compromised for feeling so concerned.

“...” Kouga didn't respond at first, but eventually he shook his head, and let his forehead fall against the wall, obscuring what little Inuyasha could see of his face. “...No.” One battle he finally conceded to, no he wasn't alright, he was in horrible pain, and he wished more then he wanted to take his next breath that he could get off of them, sit, lay down, anything. He felt weak, as though they would give out beneath him any moment but had some how failed to do so, he would have collapsed already had space not been so tight. “My...my legs...what do they look like?” He asked, his words heavy with panting breaths.

Inuyasha looked down, but the darkness was too thick, he couldn't see anything bellow Kouga's waist. “I don't know...I can't see them.”

“Goddammit.” Kouga hissed, he felt his head sink slightly as the wall eroded into a dip under the small, localized pressure.

Inuyasha slowly reached down and laid his hand against one of Kouga's leg. “Do you feel that?”

“I-I don't know.” Kouga shook his head, he couldn't distinguish anything from the crushing, burning pain so strongly that was already there.

“Hn...” Inuyasha held on to it for longer then he'd first intended too, attempting to distinguish every sensation he felt and hoping to possibly find a difference that could ease the pain. But all he felt was a overheated, swelled limb covered in half dry blood and sand. 'I don't understand this...I should have at lest started healing by now, Kouga should have... ' “Your arms are still good, maybe if you-”

“Stop!” Kouga growled fiercely, his hands tightened into tight fist against the wall, clinching grains of the dry sand that slipped through his fingers. “I-I can't do this anymore!” The pain was bad enough as it was, this course would only make it worse. He felt strangely, as if half in a daze, a semi consciousness that no matter how much he tried, wouldn't dispel nor come over him completely. It was a frustrating state that did nothing but build his anger.

Inuyasha looked away again, brooding in guilt and despair. There was always the sense that he'd been the one to push Kouga to this limit, that he should have just merely let him be and he would have been in better shape. With that came a flush of shame in resentment, for having felt so strongly about Kouga in the first place. “We still have to get out of here.”

“I...I don't care anymore.” Kouga hissed miserably, his voice weak and tired and his motions were longing. “I just...I just wanna go to sleep.” He could think of nothing better at the moment, having gone his entire duration in this place awake and feeling every second pass. He was tired, and there was no will left in him but the wish that he could pass out, he didn't care if he ever awakened, he just wanted sleep...

“K....Kouga...” Inuyasha stood in silent awe, this didn't seem real, this had to be some sort of dream. Every time he though about what he'd just heard it sounded as though it were just a thought that had been made up. Kouga...couldn't give up could he? He'd truly grown to believe that such a thing wasn't possible, Kouga was strong, he was stubborn, he barely listened to any logic save his own. There was a notion of what he'd thought, of the things he expected of Kouga, it was almost like a child who blindly admired their hero. Maybe it was naive of him, but he didn't think Kouga had ever learned such a word as defeat. What could have possibly altered him in a way that he'd stop, he'd quit, what could have happened to him that wore him down so much? 'No way...'

Inuyasha sank back against the wall and stared absentmindedly upward at the distant sky and sunlight that shined through the hole. He shouldn't have felt this bad, he felt even a little fearful, concerned, more so then he'd ever imagined he'd feel for Kouga of all people. He didn't want to see him so defeated, it was unnatural. But even if he could he couldn't say such a thing to Kouga, he couldn't just say that he hated seeing him like this, that he liked him better when he got on his last nerve, when he was insulting him then when he was like this.

Inuyasha sighed, feeling the dull, persistent strain in his legs having being forced in to a standing position for a day strait, he could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Kouga, his legs were probably broken...”I wonder what Houjo's gonna say.” He half mumbled..

'Houjo...' Kouga slowly opened his eyes and stared at the wall barely an inch from his nose. Houjo...he missed Houjo...was he alright? “What do you mean?”

“I wonder what Houjo's gonna say when he hears you died in here.” Inuyasha remarked, his voice was low and defensive, as if on guard against something. This was clearly something he didn't want to be saying, when any other time he would have had no problem using a statement like that as a threat, or an insult. He derived no satisfaction from saying it, not now, not in this situation. He found that curious, he didn't like Kouga enough to regard his feelings, he really didn't, not at all, Inuyasha shook his head, agreeing silently to himself. But...he didn't want to ...he didn't really want to hurt Kouga. 'He's injured.' Inuyasha thought to himself, that was it, it wasn't satisfying to kick people while they were down, not even Kouga.

Kouga was silent, '...' His mind was blank, as if it had too frozen, had been halted in it's tracks by those words. “He...he was there...”

Inuyasha glanced at Kouga, but quickly looked away again, he didn't like doing this, he didn't like having to consciously talk to Kouga in such a careful manner. He felt embarrassed at his words, his thoughts, his very feelings and he clinched his injured left arm subconsciously. ”He and Souta are probably up there looking for us right now...” Souta...Inuyasha couldn't describe how much he missed Souta right now. He hadn't known for sure if Souta had been there when he'd finally been tossed back on to land and caught a trace of Houjo's scent before he lost consciousness. No, of course Souta was there, Houjo would never leave Souta by himself. Knowing that, Inuyasha felt a pride for the boy, Souta didn't wait even a day, he and Houjo came after them when they could have easily gotten lost or attacked by one of the hoards of enemies that had covered the forest. And they made it alive. 'Souta.' He was proud, worried, afraid all at once, and their in lay the overwhelming need to get out of here, to get back to him.

Maybe Kouga felt the same way, the same way he did. Inuyasha thought so, if he felt so strongly about his mate, Kouga had to feel the same way right? Kouga was always so clingy and protective about Houjo, he had to feel that way even stronger then before, right? “Souta's probably gonna cry. He's like that you know.”

'Souta?' Kouga felt his breaths growing heavy and his heart pound even harder then before. 'Houjo...' He wanted Houjo, he needed Houjo, and it ached inside of him stronger then this pain did... “Stupid mutt...” Kouga growled, his voice tired and weak, yet still managed to convey every bit of it's usual smugness that came about when he talked to Inuyasha. “I'm not... gonna die here.” he said. “If anyone is...it's you.”

Inuyasha felt a smile pry across his lips despite his best efforts to stifle it, there was such a flush of relief that he couldn't describe. The overwhelming, tense energy that had built tautly in his muscles made him want to laugh out loud, to grab on to something and clinch it tightly or at the very lest to strike out at something and relinquish it. “The hell I am!”

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Houjo had never seen Souta this way.

The older boy took his best shot at retracing the path back to the well from where they'd come from, hoping his memory was as accurate as they'd need it to be. He pushed diligently forward along a dirt path, the lake on the edge of Kouga's territory was now merely a shrinking streak of blue along the horizon behind them. Souta rode on his handlebars, always staring forward so deeply, as if he looked hard enough to he'd see the well and they'd be there.

Houjo felt a little concerned for the boy. Souta was so intensely focused on Inuyasha and Kouga that he couldn't see anything else, even the dangers that he'd always been so timidly afraid of rarely entered his mind. When they did, they always quickly left, paling in comparison to a much larger one looming over their head and in their thoughts. Souta was so desperate in his need to get there so hasty, so frantic that his entire demeanor changed as if it had gone over an edge Souta had been trying to back away from. He spoke anxiously and fearfully, there wasn't a moment when he wasn't on edge, and his face was always set as though his life depended on how fast he moved. To be fair, it was possible that someone's life did.

Houjo sighed to himself, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling heavily. Maybe this was all in vain, maybe they were already too late, it sure seemed that way. Knowing that was a real possibility, Houjo still felt this inexplicable repugnance to the idea, a part his mind seemed organically incapable of accepting it no matter how much he tried to convince it. It was probably why he felt so numb right now, so indifferent, as though nothing had happened at all, ever. The only thing he did feel was his concern for Souta.

Souta hadn't slept more then a few restless hours in the last few days, he hadn't eaten anything, the only thing he had done was move. Maybe, Houjo thought to himself, he was over reacting, that this was just something blown out of proportion by a sense of empathy. The same things could have also been applied to him, he hadn't eaten, and he had slept possibly less then Souta had. Maybe all of this was just a shared denial between the two of them, something they could never accept until the possible horrible truth was staring them strait in the face.

Maybe.

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Day 3:

Inuyasha's breathing grew slow and his eyes began to drift closed, feeling as though they were filled with a hard, weighted substance that made it hard for them to stay open and uncomfortable when they were. His clinched fist at his side began to loosen and his head nodded off...But just as soon he'd pry his eyes open and lift his head, looking around to reassess his surroundings. This time though, he'd made a painful mistake, when he came rigid once more, he jerked his left arm, sending a sharp bolt of pain shooting through his body. '!!' He clinched his jaw and hissed with pain.

This time in his attempts to stay wake he'd unwittingly managed to stir Kouga into consciousness. “Un...” he heard Kouga moan softly and he flinched in surprise, but quickly eased and slumped into a relaxed form again. Kouga slipped his hand up from his side and rubbed his eyes, clearing his blurry vision. He felt the dim warmth of sunlight draping on his shoulders before he even realized the light was there, he felt Inuyasha's back familiarly against his own. “Inu....”

Inuyasha didn't speak, he merely groaned indifferently. Kouga looked back over his shoulder, taking a curious interest in the Hanyou's half lidded eyes, his slumping, weak form, and his complete lack of his usually strong presence. He was tired. And Kouga realized from many experiences with Inuyasha in such a state that Inuyasha was trying to stay awake. 'Did he...sleep at all?' Kouga wondered, somewhere in his words there was something deeper then curiosity, something stronger, a concern that was quickly shunned and pushed away with annoyance at it's very existence.

Inuyasha opened his mouth wide and yawned silently, glaring helplessly at the wall. 3 days, and he was hungrier then he'd ever been in his life, his throat was so dry and he was so thirsty that it hurt to talk. His body ached with an old, dull pain from the lacerations over his body that had long since stopped bleeding but had yet to heal when it should have been long gone. His legs screamed at him from a strained fatigue for being forced to support his weight for so long. “How's your legs?” He asked, his voice was resentful and annoyed, clearly not wanting to ask yet compelled by feelings beyond his control to do so.

“...Alright I guess.” Kouga responded in a more timid manner then usual, noticing Inuyasha's sympathy for what it was for one, quick, fleeting moment, before his pride resentfully rejected it for pity instead. Though, he lacked the strength or will to progress with such pridefulness, another matter took paramount. “I...I don't really feel anything anymore “ He was completely perplexed at this, the pain was all but gone, all that was left was a faint tingling through out every inch of his lower body.

This peaked Inuyasha's interest, how could he not feel anything, he had too. He was in so much pain the other day, it couldn't all just vanish like that...was he healing? '?' Inuyasha, slowly and with much pain, used what little space he had and even less strength to turn around until he was facing Kouga's back. Immediately after he clinched his left arm and fell against the wall, taking deep, hard, gasping breathes. '...' He stared down into the darkness silently, and sighed to himself.

“So?” Kouga asked with an awkward inquisition. He was unable to see for himself since he didn't have much of a view from where he was, and there was no way he'd be able to move since he lacked to strength to manipulate his legs.

Inuyasha looked away silently, it wasn't anything that he had hoped it would be, Kouga's legs were in just as bad shape, and instead of the burning hot, they were now lifelessly cold. “They're...fine.” Inuyasha lied.

Kouga felt a silent relief. “Hn...”

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“...”
'Un...'

It wasn't until that moment did he realize that sleep had finally calmed him, until his mind returned to consciousness and he realized the darkness and long gap in his memory. '?' In an instant Inuyasha's eyes were open, stammering to regain himself and wake up before...before...

His legs still ached with strained muscles, his body still throbbed with cuts and bruises covered in sand, his stomach still ached with need for food and his throat still longed for water. But something new was growing among them '...?' He began feeling suddenly as if something was pressing against his chest, like something with immeasurable strength was crushing him against the wall.. His vision was met with the wall of rock and sand as it had seen for the last three days, nothing more. So what was... 'What the hell!' Inuyasha lifted his right hand to his chest, or attempted to anyway, nether arm would move, they felt dead and disconnected. The realization came at him like a hard blow, he might have even flinched if he could move his body, he was trapped again. The nightmare....

“...” He tried to cry out, but as always his voice was muted. 'No! Damnit No! This can't be happening!' How! How could this be happening?! He was standing up, he was in pain, how could he possibly fall asleep like this?! “...” He tried to scream, to cry out again, feeling a unintelligent, inarticulate, irrational fear washing over him without reason or logic. 'No, It's not real! This isn't happening damnit!' No matter how much rationalization he tried incorporate, it did no good, he couldn't stop himself from feeling this overwhelming fear as though he were nothing more then a terrified child.

“...” He tried desperately yet futilely to make a single sound but to no avail. His taunt ears trembled as the overwhelming rush surrounded him. It was like a waterfall or a raging river was barreling past him, it drowned out his thoughts, he couldn't take it! 'No! Damnit it's not happening!' He screamed, he could feel his muscles tensing, and a pain come from his left arm caused by the action. But no motion could come from them, it was as if he was bound into place by heavy chains, completely paralyzed.

'Damnit! It...hurts...' “!” Inuyasha's wide, frightened golden eyes began to tremble when the feeling of something pressing against his chest became more intense then just a trace pressure. It was as if a large coil was tightening around his chest, something like a monstrous boa constrictor crushing him. 'Uh!' A sharp breath was forced from his lungs and he could no longer breathe. “...” He didn't think he would be able to scream even if he could speak like this, he gasped in short, choking breaths, but no air seemed to come from them. 'No! Somebody help me!'

A pang of fear shot through him like electricity and his eyes shifted anxiously to the very corner of his vision. He could almost see it clearly now, something, something was there, some peripheral sense was fixed on it in the same terror that made him freeze , it was something, a shadowy form. It wanted to hurt him, it wanted to kill him! There was only a chilling sense of danger that he felt when it was there, and every inane instinct shouted for him to get away from it. 'Damnit!' He tried desperately to move, to shake his head, to do anything! He was trapped here, he wanted to get away, he wanted to run, he wanted to at least be able to fight! 'No!, Leave me alone damnit! No-' He couldn't take this anymore! Why didn't--

“Inuyasha...”

Inuyasha flinched, feeling Kouga's hands gripping his shoulders tightly, as if pulling him. Inuyasha's ears perked rigidly, he was awake, he was able to move, but he was frozen there, his body so tense with surprise and resentful fear that he still *couldn't* move. “Kouga...” His voice was weak and shaky, and his breath was heavy.

For a moment Kouga was too startled to move, staring at Inuyasha's back almost as if uncertain of both himself and of Inuyasha. 'He's wet...' Kouga felt Inuyasha's clothing was damp with a cold sweat, his body was drenched in it. Even though he felt firmly the contact he had with Inuyasha, even though he realized he was holding on to his shoulders, he felt incapable of letting go, something in him wanted, needed to hold on. No matter how much he tried to convince himself to pull back, his mind remained a startled blank and wouldn't listen.

'?' Kouga clinched Inuyasha's shoulder's when he felt Inuyasha begin to tremble deeply, “Inu...Inuyasha?” Barely even considering what Inuyasha must have looked like, he was glad Inuyasha's back was turned to him, he couldn't have imagined how his face must have looked at this moment.

Inuyasha was silent, he only stared at the wall with a deadened emptiness. The fear receded with Kouga's touch, leaving a deep swell of resentment toward himself, and a strong apprehension that came with the thought of sleep. “...” Slowly he clinched his chest and felt his heart racing and his lungs gasping inanely for lost air. It was almost unreal how...pitiful he felt right now...how...

Silence

There was such an intense anxiety, such a troubled vexation Kouga had towards Inuyasha at the moment that he could think of nothing else. Was he awake? Was he alright? What was wrong with him? “Inuyasha...” There was this inane sense that something was off, severely unbalanced in the Hanyou, and he wanted desperately to fix it, for when Inuyasha was like this, it aroused something in him he didn't want to feel, to acknowledge. But he didn't know what to say, what to do, he was merely left useless and confused, searching...He couldn't take it! When Inuyasha was like this... “Inuyasha!” Kouga shouted, his voice echoing loudly off of the close walls.

Inuyasha flinched again, but then stared at the ground, strongly conscious of himself. To think something like that could do this to him! Just thinking of sleep made him fearful enough to become an insomniac, he felt like every time he was being pulled deeper and deeper into something horrible and he was suffocating. He felt weak, he felt...defeated.

Why didn't he say anything? Why was he like this?! Kouga clinched Inuyasha's shoulders as hard as his strength would allow, “Inuyasha!” He cried out again, and heard Inuyasha gasp faintly and felt him flinch again. But he got no response and Inuyasha merely tensed even more and the trembling grew worse. Kouga's mind raced, why wouldn't he answer? “Say something damnit!”

Inuyasha opened his mouth but no words would come, he didn't want to lift his head and would make no attempt to do so, his eyes remained riveted to the ground while he felt Kouga's fixed piercingly on his back Shame burned unbearably in him enough to make wish Kouga wasn't here...no, that wouldn't have helped, even when Kouga wasn't near him, his thoughts, feelings, his behavior was always influenced by Kouga's implied presence always somewhere in his mind. Maybe this wouldn't have been so bad if he had no notion of Kouga at all. He always had to be strong, to impress Kouga, to show no weakness. Maybe if he'd never met Kouga...

He wouldn't have hated himself so much right now.

“Damnit!” Kouga growled. His own heart began to pound so loudly in his chest that he thought even Inuyasha could hear it, the breathes he took became deeper and deeper, and his body hotter and hotter, sweat began to run down his forehead. He was nervous, he was afraid, dammit, it was overwhelming. He'd never imagine he'd feel so strongly for Inuyasha, even in hate he'd never felt anything equal to the worry Inuyasha was causing him right now. Damn! Why did Inuyasha have to cause him so much trouble! “Inuyasha!”

Inuyasha shuttered, what he heard in Kouga's voice immediately brought back thoughts of the odd rage that had fallen over Kouga back at his den that had made him so afraid for the wolf. He thought for a moment that it had returned, but just as he began to worry, something odd happened, odd enough to completely divert his thoughts. '...?' “....?”

In one swift, thoughtless motion, Kouga wrapped his arms around Inuyasha and leaned against him (more like lost his balance and feel into) in awkward, confused embrace. Kouga buried his face into Inuyasha's back and hugged him with every bit of strength he had left inside of him. And inevitably...a silence followed, and Inuyasha lifted his head, staring questioningly into the darkness. Kouga didn't move, even as minutes passed. He wasn't sure of himself, of what he was doing, of why he was doing it, not even of why he'd felt so desperate and needing that this action came about. The only thing he was certain that he wanted to stop Inuyasha from trembling, that he wanted to stop the confused loathing that the Hanyou was exuding, and...

He...he just wanted Inuyasha to be alright again.

It wasn't real, Kouga had never thought it possible, he never though that Inuyasha had ever been afraid in his life. Someone as strong and stubborn as him, he knew no fear. Never had Kouga seen Inuyasha run, or back down, even when he was beat and it was nearly impossible to win. It didn't seem comprehensible to Kouga for Inuyasha to have this type of reaction to a dream, it scared him. What was happening to him, what was so bad?

“K-Kouga?” Inuyasha finally spoke in a weak and inquiring tone, completely bewildered.

“Shut up mutt.” Kouga spat, again finding himself unable to let go. “Don't try to talk to me *now*.” His voice was as resentful and angry as it ever was. But inside there was a turmoil of confusion that was subsiding, it felt...right, like something unbalanced, something wrong, not just within Inuyasha but within himself, was being fixed. Besides he couldn't just move now, he'd already done it, if he just pulled back it would draw attention to how uncertain he was and it would make the already intense awkwardness and thick tension thicker then it was now. No, he had to seem sure, he had to look as if he knew what he was doing and wasn't the least bit nervous, and if he pulled away now, Kouga was sure he'd look just the opposite. It was better to stay this way for a while...it wasn't like this was all bad...

Inuyasha was too weak and defeated to fight it, he lacked the strength or the will to yell at Kouga or to push him off. He knew what was happening to him, and he was keenly aware of who was doing this to him. But...it was just...he just wanted to go along with this. It wasn't horrible, awkward sure but he could bare it, and if it had to be anyone doing this to him, he guessed...Kouga wasn't so bad. “...Hn”

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