InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strawberry Gummies ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

       Starlight winked at the rising travelers and the village below through a gap-toothed dawn. It was slow going up the eastern mountains but they had avoided the rain, or so it seemed. Kagome's liberal distribution of gummies had kept the peace, but barely. Today everyone minus one white haired dog boy, future girl, and bike were headed out for more supplies. Faces were hard, eyes were bruised, and stomachs were empty. They left by third light.

       The pair woke to a moist haze threatening to break into rain. While the infamous duo had been left with the task of finding a cave it had been a half hour since Inuyasha had done something helpful or said anything other than "No." With wet socks and an aching back Kagome stopped pushing to rest yet again. She glanced at Inuyasha and her heart sped up. She was to Inuyasha’s indifferent back decidedly cheerful. He mumbled and scratched himself when he thought she wasn't looking. She distinctly heard the words "Shippo.”

        A switchback took Kagome under the shelter of an outcropping overlooking a dark concave. The air was stagnant inside. She knocked her kickstand and extended her mystic senses. Nothing.

"Inuyasha!" 

"Inuyasha!" The cave echoed.

"INUYASHA." A disgruntled bird took flight shitting angrily as it flew.

"INUYASHA."

"What." She yelped. Inuyasha stood behind her, backpack slung over his shoulder, several bleeding bug bites on his face.

"I need my headlamp. It's dry so maybe we can camp here. And leave the bike." 

"You can camp here."

"M’kay."

      The space extended maybe fifteen feet back before hitting a wall. She rolled her bike back thinking she’d have to clear a space for mats. It was rocky ground. "If this bike gets stolen you're carrying me," she directed her voice behind her, and stepped away appraising; perhaps they could disguise it with a pile from the space they cleared.

"Iron reaver soul stealer!" Inuyasha said helpfully, instead of "Kagome look out," or "Watch your head maybe." The ceiling in front of her shattered under the single beam of her headlamp. There were stones in her hair and more on the ground. Her bike was completely obscured and possibly bent.

"I don't see it anymore."

"Let's start on the fire." Kagome said in a decidedly cheerful tone to Inuyasha’s seemingly indifferent front. "Can you get firewood before it starts really rain-" Inuyasha dumped a large pile of wood near the entrance. He’d already gathered the damp faggots and cut thicker chords. She'd have to dig out the pit near the entrance but it might burn. He dropped her bag and moved to leave.

"Where are you going?"

There weren't many trees up this high and those that were only had pines cones and needles. He'd be human tonight. He didn't say.

      Kagome sat and massaged her calf. You couldn't just sleep in a tree, on a mountain, in a storm and pretend it was fine. Or perhaps he could. Spending several long weeks of her summer in the feudal era hadn't seem to improve things. Grimacing she got to her feet and had by sunset she had cleared enough debri for the space of four mats. Unimpressed by her diligence the mountain shook with another boom and flash, closer this time. 

       A fire pit and dry change of clothes later Kagome brought out her cooking supplies. The fire was smoky but it had taken and she had soon boiling water to pour into a single ramen cup. The last styrofoam cup soaking, and no one to share it she stuffed her shoes with paper and left them on the warm rocks to dry. The rain punched outlines of dark mountain flowers clumps and darker trees while smoke blustered scheifreinically to and fro warming the cave and stinging the eyes and nose. Kagome retreated under a damp towel, put headphones in under her headlamp strap and tried, unsuccessfully, to read.

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