Melting ice

^_^ Untitled


Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of its characters.


Translation: koi = come (command)

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Chapter Three

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The world had now become a vast white tomb of cold.
Wet glowing flakes of purity converged around Sesshoumaru.
It never seemed to end. The wind thrashed about as if angry. Shards
of spiked hail pelted the mounds of drifting snow that now rose
to the depth of his armor. Scowling, the inu youkai jumped, trying his
best to stay above the icy blanket covering the ground. He would not
give up his search. Using every sense he had, the dog demon strained.
Finally, he felt rather than smelled his ward. She was not too far. He
had been moving away from her. Sesshoumaru turned, heading to his left.


In the distance he spotted it. A small speck of black nearly buried by a
rising hill of accumulated snow. As he approached what looked to be a small
entrance to a cave, he inhaled. Yes, she was here but there was another
with her. He sniffed again and growled. The wind witch. If that bitch
had hurt Rin in any way, he would make sure she did not remain in this
world for long.

He stopped at the small hole and began to push aside the wet snow that
nearly covered the entrance. He stepped through and down, his feet
touching solid rock. Mere moments passed until his eyes adjusted to the
damp darkness. In the back of the cave, he could make out the outline
of two figures, one small and one he knew to be wind user, both were
seated. The shadow of the wind user stood and backed away as he walked
forward two steps, "Rin."


A small sniffle reached his ears along with a weak
whisper, "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

By what little light that now entered the darkness, he could see
Rin. She lay huddled under a blanket, close to the wall.
Ignoring the wind user, he stepped over to his ward and kneeled beside her.
Dull brown eyes blinked up at him, a dim reflection of the light from the
mouth of the cavern behind him in their depths, "Rin."

Even in the dark, he could see her smile. Relieved, he moved to pick up
his ward, blanket and all. She went with no complaints, molding
to his chest, trying to snuggle up, seeking warmth.
He turned to leave.


As soon as he neared the snow covered entrance, a bright light erupted
from the wind whipped snow and hail, surging into the cave,
blasting an ominous pinkish hue throughout, chasing the darkness away,
replacing it with deadly waves of purifying radiance. Sesshoumaru froze,
held Rin tighter to him and growled while narrowing his eyes. What
sorcery was this?


He backed up a few paces, allowing his anger to settle and the deep feral
rumble in his chest and throat to diminish. He knew not what he was up
against so he decided to wait and see if this.... invading light
would desist and let him pass.


Sesshoumaru did not have to wait long. A voice, loud as thunder boomed,
surrounding, vibrating through his very being, "KAGURA."


The dog demon cautiously and slowly retreated, stepping
back, eyeing the glittering snowflakes that now floated toward him,
the eerie glow within enough to purify him in seconds.
The flakes of ice swirled in the air, creating
a vague misty form that resembled a detached spirit.

A distinct shuffling from behind informed him that the wind user had
backed up as well, further into the cave. She smelled of fear and
rising panic. Her fear was justified. He now had an idea of what this
was, a natural being of purity, a powerful spirit of the world.
A single touch from this ghost of pure light and he would die.


The apparition halted a few paces before him, its ghostly form
hovering in mid-air between him and his only way out.


It repeated the name, "KAGURA."


She answered with an unsteady voice, "Are you here to take my life now?"


"YOU HIDE FROM MY STORM. YOU TEST MY PATIENCE.
YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR DESTINED FATE.
YOU ARE MISTAKEN."


Sesshoumaru watched as the ghostly spirit withdrew, floating back toward the
opening of the cave, seeming to fade into the snowy flakes that
scattered in. A bright light flashed. The dog demon squinted at the
intensity before shutting his eyes completely.

When he opened his eyes, he stared at the entrance. Sesshoumaru started
for it once more. When he came within a pace of the falling snow, he stopped,
sensing danger. He narrowed his eyes and backed up. The falling torrent
seethed with a purifying glow, stronger than before. A blast of
freezing wind began sending the crystallized flakes swirling into the
cave. The stinging ice crystals began inching toward him.

The inu youkai turned, facing the dark shadow of the wind user near
the far back of the cave, "You are the one responsible for this. You
are the one it wants."


Giving no reply, the wind youkai shuffled further back into the darkness.

Sesshoumaru kneeled and gently laid his ward on the stone floor, careful
to keep her bundled up. She protested with a whine.


"Quiet, Rin, I will return shortly."


After making sure Rin was comfortable, he straightened.

Slowly, he turned to face the wind user and began walking toward her,
"You are the one it wants. If you are dead, the purifying storm ends
and I can leave this place."


He could smell the youkai's growing panic as she scrambled backwards, "I......"


Red tinted his vision, "I will aid this spirit in ridding the world of your
presence."

She rasped out an unsteady plea, "I have done you no harm.
You can't...... you can't."


He growled, "You have brought the wrath of a pure spirit upon your head and
in the process, placed my ward and I in danger."


With demon speed, he closed in on the youkai, his hand gripped her throat.
He began to squeeze, green poison dripping from his claws. He could
feel her trying to draw breath as she raised both hands up to claw at his
hold in vain, whimpering when his poison sizzled against her skin.

Something warm wrapped around his leg. He ceased squeezing when a small voice
cried out weakly, "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama, don't hurt her, don't hurt the
pretty lady. She helped Rin. She made Rin warm."

He stared at the shadowed face of the wind witch, "Rin......"
The inu youkai faltered, his explanation dying when the scent of Rin's
tears reached his senses.


Irritated, he let go. The wind user dropped, clasping her throat and coughing.


Sesshoumaru reached down and smoothed the soft hair on Rin's head.
His ward sniffled while clinging to him.


"Rin."


Rin released his leg, "Can we go now?"


The inu youkai glanced down at his ward who was rubbing at her eyes with the
back of her hand. She did not understand why they were trapped. She did not
know what threat awaited them in the early winter storm.

He needed to find a way out of this. Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply, clearing his
thoughts. As he took in the surrounding air, a hint of earthly heat laced his
senses. He looked into the pitch black of the back of the cavern.
Cautiously, he walked into the darkness till he reached the very back stone
wall. Sesshoumaru raised his hand and placed his palm on the hard surface,
surprised to find it warm.

"Rin, back up to the snow."

When he was sure her small footfalls had led her far enough away, Sesshoumaru
pulled out Tokijin.

Hefting the fang up, he pointed it to the wall. It let out a blast of
energy that shattered the thin sheet of rock. When the dust cleared, in place
of the stone wall was a good sized hole. A very warm draft wafted out from
the newly made doorway, whispering against his skin, "Rin, koi."


Sesshoumaru stepped over the rocks at this feet. He stopped when the only
sound he heard was the wind user's steps trailing his. The dog demon growled,
glancing back. The rumble caught in his throat when he saw the wind youkai
holding his ward who had been wrapped up in the blanket again.


He glared at the wind youkai before turning and heading into the heated
darkness before him.


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I know this is a little on the dark side but I am trying my best to keep these
guys in character before I get them together. It will take a little maneuvering
but I am sure I can pull it off. Till next update, scarecrow.