InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Middle Road ❯ Windsong/Circles ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Oh, wait- nope, still don't own Inuyasha.

Windsong

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The waning moon shone brightly over the treetops. Silent flakes of fluffy moondust fell and drifted gently to the ground. The winter wind murmered like a muted banshee through the empty forest, sifting through the bare-armed trees. A soft, ruddy glow shone with flickers through the shadowy trees. Around the fire sat Kagome and Inuyasha, staring silently into the light. Sango slept next ot Kirara on a matress of dried leaves, her presence, as well as her insomnia, was evident by the occasional crackling rustle. Miroku sat in his usual position, leaning against a large rock, his staff falling across his arms.
Inuyasha would steal a quick, awkward glance up at Kagome every few minutes. Though she did not show it, Kagome realized this. She crawled carefully around the fire and sat next to him. His breath started becoming choppy and uneven as he shivered with the cold. Kagome looked at him with a sidelong glance. Her eyelids were becoming heavier. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He instinctively tensed up, but wrapped and arm around her shoulder.
She sighed contentedly, leaning her cheek gently against his chest. On a whim, she crawled into his lap. He gasped in surprise.
"W-what are you doin'?"
"I'm tired," she said, pulling a blanket around them. "and you're cold."
"Wha...?" He sighed in defeat, being unable to find a flaw in her logic, and unsure if he wanted to. Inuyasha flipped his long, black hair to the side, out of her face. He stared down at her sleeping face. She seemed so comfortable. Was this what she was talking about? he thought, about being happy? He pulled her closer, wishing he didn't have to wake up. Ever.
*** ***
"Sango-sama," Miroku yelled over the howling of the wind. "just a little farther."
Sango pushed forward, the huge snow-drifts whited out her view. They were travelling in circles, she thought, walking steadily for hours on end through thick pelts of glacial snow was exhausting. She noticed some large objects to their right. Thick-trunked, naked, sentinel fir trees towered over them on all sides. After travelling far into the forest, the biting wind eased off slightly, allowing them some rest.
Night fell hard. The light gray, overcast skies soon became colorless oceans of black. The storm died down, its shrieking banshee howls fading, becoming faint. The dark tufts of smoky clouds drifted out of the way, and the brilliant, star-sprinkled sky bore no serene, flourescent moon. They made a small camp, the fire built with what little semi-damp wood they could find.
"Houshi-sama?" Sango ventured to ask some hours later.
"Huh?" He looked up at her from across the fire. "What's wrong?"shook her head.
"Nothing's wrong," she said. "I was just wondering if you've come up with any theories as to where we are, or how we got here."
"None, Sango." he said. "I have been pondering over the present, and past, circumstances leading up to now." He stroked his chin with a hand. "Inuyasha just disapeared suddenly, Kagome disapeared suddenly back in the cave-"
"And Shippou and Kirara, too."
"Right. We cannot know what is happening, but I have a sneaking suspicion that something quite nefarious is going on behind the scenes. Something just isn't right here." He quickly gazed around the haunting forest around them. "Something evil is in these woods."
*** ***I know. Will be longer next time.