Melting ice

Untitled


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

Translations: compliments of Tameiki


Daijoubu desu yo : We are fine/okay

Daijoubu des' Ka : Are you okay?

Kega wa? : Are you hurt?

Koi: come, follow me

Hai : Yes

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Pain

Her heart.

So much...pain.


Kagura opened her eyes to a darkness dimly tinted with a green luminance.
Something heavy lay on her chest. She looked down, quickly remembering the
child and then unfortunately recalling her predicament. She was trapped
in a cave with an inu-youkai who would rather see her dead than living while
a purifying storm raged just outside the cavern, a purfying storm with her
name written all over it.

Lowering her hand from her chest, Kagura grimaced. Her so called *father* had
decided to give a painful reprimand for not coming back. Idiot. With all
of his so called abilities, why couldn't Naraku find out where she was and know
she was trapped? Kagura scowled. Maybe he did know where she was. He had Kanna
after all. Kanna could easily show Naraku where she was with her mirror.
If that was the case, Naraku knew she was trapped and decided to torment her
anyway just to appease his malicious urges. Sadist.


Sighing away the useless anger, Kagura looked up to see a darkness hinted
with green shadows. Blinking several times, she squinted into the pitch black
center of the vast dead-end cavern they had came to. Where was the inu-youkai?
Then, as if her mental question had been heard and answered, a silvery glow
slowly emerged out of the blackness, the tall white regal form of Sesshoumaru.
The expressionless dog demon stopped a pace away. Even in the dimly lit
darkness, she could see the icy amber of his straightforward gaze centered on
her.

The inu-youkai gave her a flat command. "Get up, wind user. We must continue."

Kagura let out a tired sigh and tried to stand. Hefting the young girl up in
her arms, she stood with some difficulty. Naraku's punishments always left
her weak. Since the storm had done its share of stripping her powers, she
was not quite strong enough to withstand his latest nearly fatal squeeze
on her captive heart. Grunting quietly, she straightened, holding
the still sleeping child in her arms.

The dog demon walked toward the center of the vast cavern. "Follow me,
wind user."


With a resigned, solemn sigh, Kagura fell in behind the tall demon lord.
As they walked, she occasionally glanced at his backside, noticing how
his long, silvery, white hair slightly swayed back and forth and how the fluffy
fur boa on his right shoulder wavered in continuous motion like a restless
ivory cloud. What was that thing on his shoulder anyway? Was it some sort of
accessory to his royal attire? Or was it just the pelt of some great youkai
he once defeated, a fur trophy displayed in arrogant pride? Kagura shook
her head with a small smile. The Great Lord of the Westernlands was arrogant
and proud, with a regal beauty all his own.


Sesshoumaru stopped. "Wind Witch."


Kagura stopped directly behind him. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."


"We must go into this passage, be wary."

Curious, she watched the inu-youkai bend down a little before stepping into
a narrow crack in the wall just big enough for one.
Kagura followed with cautious steps, keeping close to the dog demon.
For several moments, they walked until the tunnel widened, opening up
into another vast cavern, but this one was very warm and dimly lit
by an outside source of light. Kagura glanced up and spotted a few holes
where the light filtered through.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sesshoumaru stopped, his eyes narrowing. This cavern was heated by another
earthen crack but he could not see it. Obviously, it must be in the far
distance, hiding in the darkness. He glanced to his right and then to his
left, eyeing the shadowed cave walls. The lightest crackle brushed his
senses, the sound of a lone pebble click clacking over and over until finally
hitting a rocky bottom. He realized almost too late what that one lone pebble
preceded. In a blink, he turned and pushed the wind user out of the way as
the ceiling of the cavern rained down in a thunder of earth and rocks.
Skillfully, he dodged the largest of the boulders only to fall victim to
a new threat: a powdery blanket of white death. He growled as the icy
torrent covered him, melting, sizzling, purifying, weakening.
Sesshoumaru fell to one knee with a grimace. A dangerous sea of red scoured his vision
only to fade as his powers diminished. Struggling, he jumped out
of the icy torrent before he was completely purified. As he leaned
against the wall, he watched the small cave-in settle. He looked up at the
large hole and the white snow now falling through it. Silently, he cursed. It
nearly killed him. Panting, Sesshoumaru turned to monitor his ward
and the wind user. Through the settling dust, dirt and fog of snow, he
spotted them by the far opposite wall, safe and sound. Carefully avoiding
the snow, he wearily stepped around the pile of rubble and ice. When
he came upon the wind user, she looked up at him with wide, frightened
scarlet eyes.


He regarded them both silently for a moment before asking curtly, "Are you
unharmed, wind user? Rin?"


The wind user nodded her head slowly. "Hai, we are..." She glanced down at
Rin. "...daijoubu desu yo."


Sesshoumaru turned and began walking toward the other side of the cavern.
"Koi, we need to leave this place."

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Kagura watched the dog demon walk away, slightly hunched and
panting. The deadly snow fall had been meant for her, yet he had...
pushed her out of the way. She stared, helpless, as the sparkling
white powder covered the inu-youkai, nearly purifying him to death.
Kagura briefly wondered why he had not cried out.


A few moments later they stopped. Before them
was a large fissure in the cavern floor. Warm, billowy wafts of air rose
up from the jagged crack. It was not as large as the other fissure they
passed before. No, they could easily step over this fissure as it
was very small and narrow. Yet, the Great Lord of the Westernlands moved
around it, stepping to the side and slowly walking to the cavern wall.
With growing concern, Kagura observed the dog demon. He did not look well as he
leaned against the solid rock, breathing heavily. Cautiously, she approached
the injured inu-youkai. He gave her a quick, hard glare before the gold in his
eyes softened in weary defeat. He turned and looked away. his eyes cast
down toward the ground.

Kagura moved behind him to the wall. Carefully, she laid the slumbering
child on the ground, making sure the blanket covered her small form.

Swallowing this new found fear, she bravely approached the dog demon.
Daring to speak, she whispered, "Daijoubu des' ka? ...Kega wa?"

Instantly, she regretted the question for she once again found herself
being choked by the very angry Lord of the Westernlands. His low growl
mingled with his hot breath across her face. "You....bitch...."

His savage glare faded. His hold loosened. He backed away, hitting the
wall before sliding to the ground and closing his eyes.

Kagura rubbed her throat, swallowing the strangled cough.

For a few moments, she silently watched the inu-youkai as he breathed
out in erratic pants. Soon, his breathing calmed but his eyes remained closed.
He appeared to be sleeping. Warily, she stepped toward him. He did not
move. Hoping the danger was past, Kagura knelt by the resting dog demon.
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"

He did not respond.


Biting her lower lip, Kagura glanced about. What could she do? Should she go
back and end this plight they were in? What if Sesshoumaru was...dying? If she
went back now and he died, what would happen to the little one? After a moment
of mental debate, she made her decision. Kagura stood, walked over to the
girl, picked her up and carried her to the resting inu youkai, then laid her next to
him, comfortably situating her small body within the fluffy fur of his boa.

A cold draft snuck in from the tunnel just beyond the earthen crevice. It
crept along the floor close to them for Kagura could feel the coolness
slither around her ankles. Without a second thought, she pulled the
second blanket out of her kimono then draped it over the inu-youkai and
his ward. Sighing, Kagura sat down on the other side of the dog demon...
to wait.


While sitting there, Kagura wrapped her arms around her knees and
laid her head on them, her line of sight falling on the Great Lord
of the Westernlands. His head was bowed, his silvery bangs shadowed his eyes,
hiding them from view. His breaths were long and even, the whispers of a healing
sleep. Absently, she glanced at his attire, consciously noting the sharp spikes
on his armor and the strange way his weapons twisted. It almost looked as
if he was sitting on the swords. Her observations settled on his arm, or rather,
the absence of it. Who could have been powerful enough to do such a thing?
Inwardly shrugging, Kagura closed her eyes. Hopefully, it would not take
long for the Great Lord to heal.


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Thanks for the reviews!!! ^_^


Kindite

Nokomarie

Taiki