InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Here Comes Santa Claws ❯ Winter Wonderland ( Chapter 10 )

And I'm back! Grad school took up a lot more time than I was expecting. And since my grades are more important to me than fanfiction (no matter how much fun the story is) my writing got kind of put on the back burner. My nephew is eight and a half months old and very active. He requires almost constant watching during the day, so I don't write then, either. But none of my stories have been abandoned yet. I will finish them! And maybe even write new ones. I've got plunnies knocking around in my head, but I don't want to start anything new until I finish a few other stories.

 

When we last saw our heroes:

 

Kagome had another fight with Inuyasha and wandered off, feeling rather depressed and homesick. She walked into Kaede's office and surprised Kanna in the act of stealing the Shikon no Tama. Lord Naraku was interested in Kagome's untapped and untrained potential and ordered Kanna to kidnap her instead. Meanwhile, Inuyasha was feeling bored and a little bit bad about the fight, even though he wouldn't miss it. He sensed magic nearby and went dashing off to play hero. It was too late. By the time he blasted open the door, the spell was complete, and Kanna and Kagome disappeared in a burst of mist and magic.

 

And now on to Chapter 10! Enjoy!

 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

HERE COMES SANTA CLAWS

 

Chapter 10: Winter Wonderland

 

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Kagome groaned and pressed her face into her pillow. There was a dull throbbing behind her eyes and her mouth tasted like it had been stuffed with cotton balls. She swallowed and her stomach responded with unhappy flips. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she clenched her teeth and tried not to retch.

 

What happened? Her mind felt fuzzy, recent memories blurring into an indecipherable mess. Did I faint? Fainting seemed to be involved, but if that was before or after the mind-numbing darkness, she couldn't be sure.

 

The nausea was slowly fading, but that could be because her pounding headache was demanding all of her attention. Memories were sneaking back in, but they were fragmented to say the least. There was a girl, and a man in a mirror, and Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha! Kagome sat up abruptly. Her head swam as her last meal threatened to make an unwanted reappearance. Sternly she forced her queasy stomach into submission and took her first look around.

 

She was sitting on a large—easily king-sized—bed, covered by a thick furry white comforter of some kind. The room itself was painted white with stark black tapestries everywhere. Alternating black and white throw rugs littered the floor. Everything, in fact, was in either black or white, the only exceptions being the three lanterns placed about the room. The flickering blood-red glow caused the most macabre shadows to dance upon the walls and stained the white walls a bloody pink.

 

“Inuyasha?” Kagome called softly. She slid to the edge of the bed, feeling for the nightstand to keep from bumping her toes. The lanterns may have added to the décor of the room, but they didn't give much light. “Are you there?”

 

There was no response and Kagome felt herself growing frightened and a little annoyed. “Is this your idea of a joke, Inuyasha?”

 

Kagome made a slow circuit of the room which, since the room was perfectly circular, made her feel like she was trapped inside a giant hamster wheel. Her explorations revealed nothing except three ordinary doors. The first led into a black and white bathroom with a blood-red toilet seat cover. The second appeared to be a closet of some kind. It was filled with hideously baggy clothes in red and white. The third was locked.

 

It refused to budge. She even tried ramming it, but all that got her was a bruised shoulder. In the bathroom, among the brushes and scrunchies and half-empty lipstick tubes, she found a box of hairpins. Scampering back to the locked door, she straightened the pin and jammed it into the keyhole. After several minutes of careful fiddling, she sighed and sat back on her heels.

 

“This might work if I actually knew how to pick locks,” she muttered, scowling. Feeling more than a little childish, she stood up and kicked the door. “Open up, dammit!”

 

To her surprise, the lock clicked and the knob slowly turned. Kagome backpedaled to the dubious safety of the bed. At least it was something large she could keep between her and an unknown attacker.

 

A woman entered the room. She wore a kimono not unlike Sango's and wore jade beads threaded onto the hair by her ears and feather ornaments in the bun on the top of her head. When Kagome let her eyes wander to the jade beads again, she sucked in a breath. The woman's ears were pointed! She was a demon!

 

“Good. You're awake.” The woman afforded Kagome a brief glance out of disconcertingly red eyes. “Lord Naraku will see you now.” She pointed to somewhere out of the room with a fan held casually in her hand.

 

“Who-Who are you?” Kagome's voice squeaked on the last word. She swallowed to moisten her throat. “How did I get here? What are you going to do with me? I want answers before I'll go anywhere with you!”

 

“I always get the stubborn ones,” the woman harrumphed. She regarded Kagome through narrowed eyes and tapped her fan against her chin. “My name is Kagura, mortal girl. As for the rest… “She shrugged. “They are for Lord Naraku to answer if he so chooses.”

 

Kagome stared in morbid fascination at the fan in Kagura's hand. It seemed to pulse with its own aura—an aura of hatred and violence. She jumped when Kagura abruptly flipped the fan open before snapping it shut again.

 

“Today, mortal,” Kagura snapped. “I have more important things to do than play messenger to one of Kaede's foundlings.”

 

Somehow, Kagome doubted that arguing would be wise in this situation. She scrambled off the bed and stood at the foot, nervously smoothing the fabric of her blouse. Kagura sighed and rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and marching out the door and into the dark hallway. Kagome meekly followed, casting one last glance back at the room which had seemed a prison before, but now represented someplace safe and familiar. She stared at her guide's back and a shiver worked its way down her spine. Inuyasha, where are you?

 

Kagome and her silent guide traveled down many hallways, all eerily identical, down to the exact same number of doors in each one. She knew; she had counted. After only a few minutes of walking, her head was throbbing and her nausea threatened to return.

 

“Are we there yet?” she complained. Kagura turned her head just enough to glare at Kagome. Maybe she'll kill me and put me out of my misery, Kagome thought, following Kagura down yet another hallway. Or this blasted headache will!

 

Focused on her own agony, Kagome failed to notice Kagura come to a stop and yelped when her nose smashed against the demon's back. “Next time, signal when you're going to stop!”

 

“We're here.” Kagura nodded at the plain white door. Kagome wondered how she could be sure, because the door looked just like the million others they had passed on their little journey.

 

“Um… Okay.” Kagome cocked her head as she studied the door and then looked at Kagura, waiting for some kind of direction.

 

“Oh, for the love of… “ Kagura twisted the doorknob and shoved the door open. “Go in, you little idiot. Lord Naraku is expecting you. And don't stray from the marked path.”

 

“Why?” The girl leaned forward to get a look at the room. In direct contrast to the well-lit hallway, the room was pitch black. She couldn't see more than a foot or two inside, but there did seem to be some kind of dimly illuminated pathway that meandered into the darkness.

 

Kagura grinned. It wasn't a pleasant grin. “Leave the path and you'll live long enough to regret it.”

 

At the irritatingly vague answer, Kagome's mouth firmed. She was sick of vague comments and half-answers. Neither Inuyasha nor Kaede had given her a straightforward answer since she'd arrived at the North Pole. Even the few friends she had made there gave confusing answers to her questions - if they bothered to answer her at all.

 

Turning to face the demon, she plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. “Thank you for taking the time out of your horrendously busy schedule to escort me to the man who kidnapped me and transported me from one place I don't want to be to another place I don't want to be. I'm sorry to have been such a burden. You can go now.” She flipped her hand at Kagura and stepped forward into the darkened room.

 

The door slammed shut behind her.

 

Kagome froze. It really was dark in here. She held one hand up in front of her and waved it back and forth. A slight breeze told her that she had not gone insane. Her hand was there; she just couldn't see it.

 

“Follow the path.”

 

“Huh?” Kagome started as a whispery voice floated out of nowhere. Instinctively she looked down.

 

A swath of darkness, about the width of a footpath, was outlined by little glowing things. They seemed to shift slightly before her eyes. Thinking that the barely seen movement must be because of the still-present headache, she bent closer to get a better look. One of the glowing things looked back at her. Kagome recoiled.

 

Slugs. Two long lines of phosphorescent, slimy, disgusting slugs.

 

“Stay on the path.”

 

Kagome swallowed down her nausea. She walked forward, staying well within the boundaries defined by the slugs and keeping one hand thrust out in front of her. The path could lead anywhere. The last thing she wanted to do was walk into a wall or off the edge of a pit. The whispered voice continued to echo around her, repeating only “Follow the path” and “Stay on the path” at irregular intervals.

 

“Stop.”

 

The new command jolted Kagome out of the half-soporific state she had slid into without being aware of it.

 

“Ouch.” She cursed under her breath as she smashed her fingers against some kind of unyielding surface. The long line of slugs continued sliding forward, but seemed to abruptly disappear after reaching a certain spot. Kagome watched as they slowly oozed out of sight and realized that they were crawling under some kind of barrier.

 

“That's it! The path ends here? Is this some kind of sick joke?” Sticking her bruised fingers in her mouth, she cautiously explored the unknown object with her other hand. There's got to be a door, a button, a secret lever… something!”

 

The voice had gone still. It seemed that she wasn't going to be getting any guidance on this one. Only the thought that turning around meant another nightmare trip through the slugs and the darkness kept her probing hopefully at the wall. Finally her fingers brushed against the hard coldness of a doorknob.

 

Please don't be locked, she chanted silently as she twisted the knob. To her relief, the door opened easily.

 

Bright light filled the doorway, temporarily blinding her. She blinked, eyes tearing and her headache redoubling in intensity. Rubbing her eyes only added spots and dancing flakes of color to the eye-stabbing brightness.

 

“Ah. You must be Kagome,” a low male voice said from somewhere in front of her. “Don't be shy. No need to linger in doorways.”

 

“I'm not,” Kagome muttered under her breath. “I just can't see. What kind of idiot has people walk into a brightly lit room from a pitch black one?” Slowly her vision was returning to normal, but now all she wanted to do was lie down. Nausea churned in her gut and she swallowed to force down the bile that rose in her throat.

 

One of the first things that she noticed as her vision cleared was that she was standing on a solid white floor. Unlike her room, this floor was not covered by rugs and the surface was shiny enough that she could see her reflection. She grimaced and automatically put her hand to the tangled, flyaway mess that was her hair. This was not one of her better days. Maybe she should have taken advantage of the bathroom to freshen up before confronting her kidnapper. It probably wouldn't have made a difference to him, but she would feel better.

 

“Come forward, child,” the male voice ordered. Kagome shivered suddenly. There was a hint of something lurking just under the surface of his pleasant words. She couldn't say exactly what it was, except that she didn't want to stay in this man's presence a moment longer than necessary.

 

Kagome forced her aching and nauseated body to obey the command. Lord Naraku sat at the end of the rather large room on a throne-like chair. An empty wine glass dangled from his fingers and he looked slightly bored, but there was an intensity in his dark gaze that made her nervous. A small child stood beside him, cradling a mirror in her hands. There was something familiar about her… A sudden sharp jolt of pain caused her to gasp. Kagome rubbed her temples, allowing half-forgotten memories of mirrors and girls in white dresses to scatter.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome started for the throne. Her shoes clicked loudly on the highly polished floor. Lining the approach to Naraku's throne were two columns of statues enclosed in clear glass boxes. Kagome glanced at the first ones and then had to stop to examine them more closely.

 

“They look so real,” she breathed, reaching out to touch the glass surrounding a majestic caribou.

 

“Please don't touch,” Naraku said mildly. Kagome froze with her fingers inches away from the case. “I don't want fingerprints on the glass. It takes the servants days to polish the displays.”

 

“Where did you get such amazing statues?” Kagome asked, resuming her walk, but stopping occasionally to study a penguin or a polar bear or a moose. “They look so lifelike.”

 

“They should be since I had the world's best taxidermist mount them in realistic poses after they were stuffed.”

 

Kagome felt even sicker. “You… you… killed them?”

 

“Not necessarily.” Kagome glanced at the throne, but was still too far away to make out Naraku's features to know if he felt at all bad about the killing of helpless animals. “They were in my way. Their eventual demise was merely hastened.”

 

Kagome looked away and found herself staring into the vacant glass eyes of a red fox. Something about its face, or maybe it was the long fluffy tail, reminded her strongly of Shippou.

 

Somehow she made it the rest of the way to the throne without looking directly at Naraku or his ghastly displays. It seemed rude to continue to ignore him after she reached her destination, and Kagome Higurashi was anything but rude. This man may have kidnapped her from a place where she was beginning to feel safe, if not entirely at home, but the same could be said for Inuyasha. He was a kidnapper, too, if you thought about it.

 

Naraku wasn't half bad looking. Kagome looked at him out of the corner of her eye while pretending to study an intricate piece of filigree on the throne. He had long slightly curly hair so dark that it swallowed light instead of reflecting it. His outfit was made entirely from black silk. Boots, shirt, and pants were an unrelieved black, standing out starkly against the white marble of the throne.

 

I wonder if his underwear is black. She snickered, finding the irrelevant thought funny. At Naraku's raised eyebrow, she swallowed the rest of her giggles and went back to trying not to faint or throw up all over the pristine white floor.

 

Draped casually over his shoulders was a white cape that appeared to have some kind of hood, but it was half-hidden by his hair so Kagome couldn't get a good look at it. I bet he's lived with the penguins too long. Maybe he thinks he is a penguin. That would certainly explain the black and white theme running rampant around the building.

 

Kagome grimaced as the place directly behind her eyes twinged, shooting pain through her skull. Okay. Enough thinking. Just make the pain go away. A pair of pale white hands entered her field of vision, holding a white ceramic mug that steamed and smelled faintly of lavender.

 

“Drink it, child,” Naraku advised. The girl looked at her kidnapper doubtfully and then back at the steaming mug. “The transportation spell can be a little rough on newcomers. The tea will take care of that headache and calm your stomach, as well.”

 

“What do I have to lose?” Kagome accepted the mug and sipped carefully, screwing her face into a preemptive grimace of distaste.

 

Grandfather insisted on treating all of the family's ills with ancient home-brewed remedies. His potions and tonics all had one thing in common - they all tasted vile. Anybody unfortunate enough to get dosed with one of his concoctions would insist that they were not only well enough to go to school, but could also run a marathon and write an essay on the history of rutabagas at the same time. None of his remedies worked. Often the patient would feel worse, not better, after trying to stomach one.

 

“Mmmmm.” Kagome took another, more appreciative sip. “This stuff isn't half bad.” Her head didn't pound quite so fiercely anymore, and her vision was returning to singular instead of double or triple. She took a deep breath, relishing the absence of cramps and general feeling of queasiness. “What's in it?”

 

Naraku smiled. “Just the usual. Lavender, honey, willow bark, and ground up livers and tongues of wolf demons.”

 

“Lavender.” Kagome took another sip. “That's why it smells so good. And willo- livers! And tongues! From wolf demons!” The mug slipped from suddenly nerveless fingers as she sprayed her last mouthful of tea all over the shiny white floor.

 

A little green demon scuttled from wherever he had been lurking, rag in hand, to mop up the spilled tea and ceramic shards. Kagome ignored him, too busy being shocked, disgusted, and nauseated again to pay any attention to anything else. Wolf demons? Did I hear that right? It couldn't be! Could it?

 

Naraku shifted on his throne, leaning back with a small smile on his face. He also ignored the cringing demon, instead, holding out his glass and accepting a refill of bright red liquid from the silent but attentive ghost girl. “Thank you, Kanna. Why don't you go mingle with the other children for a while?” Kanna gave no sign that she had heard him—just obediently turned and walked away, disappearing through another door.

 

“Pretty, pretty Miko,” crooned the little green demon, dabbing at Kagome's tea splattered shoes with his stained rag. “Much prettier, yes? Be nice to Jaken? No nasty arrows? Jaken good servant.” She stepped back in disgust, but the creature had a tight grip on her pant leg. She couldn't dislodge him without touching him, and that was something she couldn't stomach.

 

Pay no attention to him,” Naraku drawled lazily. “He's quite mad.” He sighed. “Jaken, must we have that talk again?”

 

The demon cringed, even more than he was already cringing, and raised skinny green arms over his head. “No! No talk! Jaken good! Jaken good!” Scooping up as many ceramic shards as he could, he continued to babble. “Nice Lord! Good Lord! Best Lord Jaken has ever had!” He peered up at Naraku hopefully, his bulging eyes confused and unfocused. “Jaken go now, yes? Care for white dog display? Daisies need watering, fur needs brushing.”

 

“Go.” Barely was the command given when the strange little demon disappeared so fast that Kagome could have sworn it was magic.

 

“What—“ Kagome stopped and gathered her scattered thoughts. Surely this day couldn't get any stranger. She dismissed the little demon as just disturbing and focused on more important issues. “What was that you said earlier? About using the tongues and livers of wolf demons?” She swallowed and nearly gagged, still able to taste the tea on her tongue. “I know some wolf demons. They're a little rough and possessive, but that's no reason to… to… ugh, it's disgusting!”

 

“I have not directly involved myself with any wolf demons for centuries,” Naraku said. “I have other sources for receiving those things that are no longer in use by their original owners. Quite bloodless, I assure you.” Abruptly he stood and descended the two steps from the dais down to her level. “You're overwrought, child. Why don't you take a stroll in the garden? It will help clear your head. We can talk more later. ”

 

“I like gardens,” Kagome murmured. “I wonder if it will be as nice as Hojo's greenhouse.” She squeaked in surprise as a man materialized at her elbow. “Does everybody around here have the bad habit of popping out of the middle of nowhere and scaring the crap out of visitors?”

 

“Ah, Suikotsu. Why don't you show our lovely guest to the cherry blossom garden? The trees should be in bloom. I'm sure she'll find it relaxing.”

 

“As you wish, Lord Naraku.” The handsome young man performed a slight bow before turning to Kagome. “Shall we go, my lady?”

 

Thrown off balance once again by the abrupt change in conversation, she could only nod helplessly and follow. Thankfully, they headed in another direction from the room of darkness and slugs. “Um… Shouldn't I go get my coat? If we're going outside I'll need it. By the way, where are we?”

 

“Antarctica.” Suikotsu selected a door seemingly at random and waved Kagome through it.

 

“Antarctica!? I'll definitely need my coat!”

 

“You won't need it.” The young man pushed open another door, allowing natural light to spill into the hallway. Kagome recoiled, expecting to be hit with a blast of freezing air.

 

“Oh!”

 

A warm breeze pushed against her, laden with the heady smells of cherry trees in bloom. A cheeky little wren trilled a melody from the branch where it had a nest, to be answered by its mate. Butterflies spread their delicate wings, seeming to float from flower to flower. Somewhere, from out of sight, came the sounds of children chanting a rhyming song.

 

“What is this place?” Kagome walked onto the soft grass, swiveling her head from side to side in wonder and delight. “This must be a really big greenhouse. To be built right next to the main building!”

 

“This isn't a greenhouse,” Suikotsu said from the door. “It's completely natural. Lord Naraku prefers it that way.” He pointed to a path that led off to the right when she turned to look at him. “Follow that path. It will lead straight to the cherry blossom garden. Someone will retrieve you when it is time to come in. There's just one thing you need to know.”

 

“Let me guess, `Leave the path and you will live long enough to regret it.'” Kagome sighed. I knew this was too good to be real.

 

“No.” He looked at her quizzically. “The gardeners might be upset if you crush their flowers, but you don't have to stay only on the path. Don't go past the markers. Winter still has a grip out there.”

 

“What are the markers? How will I know not to go past them if I don't know what they are?”

 

Suikotsu laughed. “Believe me, you'll know what the markers are if you see them.” With that he retreated back inside, closing the door behind him.

 

What a strange man, Kagome mused as she meandered down the path in the direction of the promised cherry trees. She looked around herself in delight, stopping in startlement when a little brown rabbit hopped across the path in front of her. This place is amazing. I wonder if Kaede could do the same thing with the North Pole. She seems to have a lot of power, enough to make Christmas gifts appear out of practically nothing. They can't all prefer to live in snow and darkness for most of the year.

 

She found the cherry trees without too much trouble and spent a heavenly hour wandering among the trunks. Since she hadn't exactly been forbidden not to, she decided to explore the rest of her surroundings. Her nose led her to some lilac bushes with fat little bees buzzing sleepily as they visited flower after flower.

 

After a while, she became aware that she hadn't seen another person or demon in the whole time she had been outside. Even the children, still chanting their infectious melodies, were nowhere to be seen.

 

“Suikotsu mentioned gardeners. Maybe they're all taking a nap?” She frowned and, as she wandered from one marvel to the next, kept watch for reclusive gardeners or curious children. But the sun slipped toward the horizon without her spotting a single soul. Kagome found her energy flagging and began to look around for somebody, anybody, who could show her the way back to the main building and her room. With all of her wanderings, she had somehow gotten herself lost.

 

“Who are you? And what are you doing in my garden?”

 

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Yay! More plot! Still have only vague ideas of where this story is going. It tends to reveal itself to me as I write.

 

Unless I receive strenuous objections, I am only going to concentrate on one story at a time. I'll work on “Here Comes Santa Claws” for now. “All of Me” will have to wait unless I get really good inspiration or write myself into a corner with HCSC and need a break. If enough people prefer one story over the other, let me know and I'll work on that one instead.

 

Food for thought: There are two types of pedestrians: the quick and the dead