Melting ice

chapter four Melting ice

Disclaimer: I do not own INuyasha or any of it's characters.




It was not too dark for the rock walls were covered with a luminous moss that
gave off a greenish glow. Thankfully, it was warm. Rin would not be cold.


The tunnel wound around almost in circles. They traveled for
several moments, leaving the bleakness of the purifying storm far behind to whistle
and howl.


Sesshoumaru walked at a steady but slow pace, feeling his way through
an unfamiliar darkness. The wind users steps trailed his quietly with feather light
footfalls. He found it strange for she carried his ward. Rin should have
weighed down her stride but she continued silently on behind him, almost as
if she were only a mere shadow. If it were not for her slightly labored breathing
and Rin's delicate exhales, he would not even know they were there.

The air grew warmer. Soon they came upon what looked to be a fathomless fissure in the
earthen floor. Waves of heated air billowed out of the crevise. The drafts
of heat rose, traveling upward, hitting the top of the cavern before escaping out
through small hole-like vents which opened up to the surface above.

Sesshoumaru observed the walls and floor. The fissure before them was too large to
cross over. They would have to go around.


"Wind Witch."


"My name is Kagura."


"We cannot step over this. Follow closely."


Cautiously, Sesshoumaru walked around the crack in the ground. The heat emanating from
it nearly took his breath away. He glanced at the wind user who was edging around as well.
She held Rin's sleeping from securely.


Rin's deepened sleeping state was beginning to worry him. The sudden cold may have given
his ward the fever. If she had the sickness, he needed to get her home soon.

After going around the deep and jagged crack in the cavern floor, they
continued on.


Soon, the cavern trail ended. They now stood in a hollow of some sort, big enough
for his giant demon form. As he scanned the semi darkness, the wind user
shuffled over to a side wall and sat down with a sigh.


Sesshoumaru turned to see the wind youkai sitting with Rin cradled snuggly
in her lap still covered in the blanket.


"What did you do, wind witch?"


She opened her eyes, glanced at him, then closed them again. "What do you mean?"


"What did you do to anger a pure entity of nature?"


The wind user shook her head, a defeated smile crossing her dark red lips. "I was born."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The inu youkai did not like her. It was not hard to see. The Great Lord of the
Western Lands despised her presense. She did not blame him. She was, after all,
Naraku's child. The dog demon had a vengence against her master, one almost
as strong as InuYasha's. Sesshoumaru hated the spider hanyou. Kagura
smiled. They had one thing in common: both of them hated Naraku with a passion.

Her smile fell to a frown as she held the human child closer.
What did it matter? She would be dead soon anyway.
The storm above raged it's cold blooded tendrels for her. It had temporarily
stripped her of her powers and now it wanted to freeze her out of this
world by purification. The white death howled for her life.
She had no chance against something so powerful, beautiful, and deadly.


Maybe she should have let the dog demon end it. Then she would be free and
this girl....would be...safe.


She opened her eyes to look at he inu youkai. After asking such an absurd question,
he had begun to ignore her again. He was now observing the hollowed out dead
end they had come to.


Absently, she ran her fingers through the little one's
hair. Her skin felt hot. The girl was getting sick. She needed a healer.


Making her decision, Kagura laid the small child down then stood and began
to walk back the way they had come.


"Where are you going, wind witch?"


"I have a name, Lord Sesshoumaru, and I am leaving."


Instantly, Kagura found herself staring into icy golden depths. "What are you planning
wind user?"


Kagura looked away from the intensity of the inu youkai's stare. "I am going to...
surrender to the Wind Spirit. It wants me. It can have me."


"Why?"


Nervously, she licked her lips. "That is not your concern. Will you allow me to pass?"


The dog demon narrowed his eyes. "No."


"And why not?"

"You will remain in my presence until I leave this cavern."

Determined, Kagura took a step back from the tall inu youkai, glaring
at him. "I am sick and tired of everyone ordering me around. For
once, I am going to do what I want to do. Now let me pass."

The cold golden gaze studied her for a moment. Even in the semi
darkness, Kagura could feel the icy intensity boring through her.
He finally spoke, deep and decisive. "You will remain with me
until I leave this cavern, wind witch. I have made my decision and
my word is law."

Kagura threw her hands up in exasperation. What was with all males
in the world? Did they thrive on demanding their will on everyone?
No. Not everyone. Just her!


Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared. "Fine, Lord of the
Westernlands, you win."


For a split second Kagura could have sworn she saw a flicker of
victory shimmer in that darkened gold.


Grumbling, she walked back to the small child, sat down, and pulled
the little one in her lap. Stupid dog demon. Stupid wind spirit.
Stupid Naraku. Everyone wanted to dominate or kill her. The whole
world was against her. Stupid world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sesshoumaru continued to investigate the enormous hollow they had
come upon, looking for a hidden exit in the semi darkness.
He did not know why he made the wind user remain with him.
One reason could be that he did not trust the female. If he
were unable to find a way out, he could always kill her
quickly, out of Rins presence. But if she went back, he
would lose control of the situation. The wind user could
get trapped in the cavern and it would take too long for her
to die. The storm would rage until her last breath left her
body.


No, it would be better for her to stay with him until he could
determine a solution to this dilemma.

He walked a good hundred paces, almost to the center.

A small light to the far reaches caught his eye.
Silently, cautiously, he made for the soft luminance.
As he neared the glowing phosphorescence, he could
make out a tunnel of some sort. He stopped at the entrance.
It climbed upwards, probably to an opening in the
surface. It was not wide. Only one person could
pass through at a time and he would have to bend
down slightly to pass as well. Faint drifts of
heat whispered out from the entrance, another
fissure, more than likely, deeper within the cavern.
But he also smelled a fragrance of late fall flowers hinting
within the wafts of warm wind. Yes, this led to
the outside..and maybe far from the storm.

He walked back the way he had come. Upon
approaching his current companion and ward,
Sesshoumaru noticed their position. Rin,
asleep, was cuddled up in the wind users
lap. The wind user looked to be sleeping
also. "Wind witch."


She did not answer.

He raised his tone a touch. "Wind user."

Again, she did not answer.

Curious, he lowered to one knee, observing the
elemental youkai's condition. She did not
smell dead. The thick scent of a healing
sleep rose up from both of them. The wind
demon was healing? But he had detected no
blood scent or pungence of pain. What would
she be healing from? Carefully, he studied the
skin on her pale face, slack with sleep.
Her lips had changed in color some. They were
now a lighter, paler shade of red. Without
thinking, he raised a claw to her face, lightly touching
her cheek. It was cool but warming. Confusion
was setting in. Had something happened while
he had been absent for only a few moments?


Sesshoumaru glanced down to his ward, bundled
in the blanket, lying against the wind user's
chest. Then he saw something strange. The
female had her left hand on her chest, close to
her heart.


He began to listen closely. Picking out the distinct
rhythm of the wind user's heart. It was unsteady,
laboring, as if it had been damaged in some
way. The dog demon raised an elegant brow, puzzled.
Something was not right with the heart's essence.
Her heart was there, but in a way, it was not. No.
It was a beat lacking a spirit, a beat devoid of
true life. This wind youkai lived with a phantom
heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Another chapter to this little story. I figure only three or four more to go.

^_^

Thank you to all that reviewed!


Myst


Taiki


Corrin


Juri

Lauren

Mija

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