22Don't you love how I updated both chapters at once? Praise me! Only ten more days till Christmas! My favorite holiday besides Halloween and pretendtobeatimetraveler day!:D Inuyasha's trying eggnog right now, and Shippo's got a candy can stuck in his hair. Dammit! I'll be right back. Excuse me; Miroku's doing something stupid. Read the next chapter while you wait. *runs off* Miroku, that's NOT what the stocking is for! Put that underwear DOWN! SAAAANGOOOO!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my talent with art and scads of paper.
Lawyer: Then what's that giant wriggling sack labeled "Inuyasha" hidden behind your back?
AG:…my biology project?...fine, I'll release him back into the wild. Dang, another kidnapping attempt foiled. Still…*pulls open closet door to reveal many large sacks with different manga titles written on them* this should keep me occupied until I can finally snatch that copyright from the government. *Evil grin*
Chapter 2: Ice, Ice, baby
The wind screamed relentlessly over the tundra. Spirals of snow swirled into the air with each punishing gust of wind.
A glimmer of light flickered in a window of the ancient stone manor. A figure cast in shadow moved in front of the candlelight blotting it out. A silhouette was backlit in the glow.
He smirked, watching the winds race across the barren waste. "It's almost time…she'll be here soon."
He trailed a claw across the glass, carving out a smooth line in the frozen windowpane.
"Perhaps I should go to greet her."
A sudden movement and the candle is snuffed out with a hiss. The room plunges into darkness. A low chuckle.
"Now I have only to watch...and wait."
Kagome sat, her hands in her lap, in the window seat of the plane. They were on their Japan-Arctic circle flight, about 3 hours in.
The takeoff had been smooth, and the flight uneventful. Nevertheless, Kagome had still gripped her armrests tightly, more nervous about leaving Japan than afraid of heights or the constriction of small metal craft.
Since then, she had watched the in-flight movie, napped in relative peace (dream-free) when Ayumi struck up a conversation about knitting with the old lady across the aisle, stared out the window at monotony personified, and was now listening to music on her iTouch.
She gazed out the window, tinny strains of 'Welcome to the Black Parade' by MCR trickling from her earbuds. She rested her chin on her palm, and sighed.
So far, there had been no snags or pitfalls – the trip had almost gone TOO smoothly.
And yet…a knot was tightening in her stomach. She wasn't hungry, and she couldn't put it down to nerves or sickness…so why did she feel as if an ominous cloud was looming on the horizon?
Tearing her eyes away from the view of (surprise!) white fluffy clouds, she tapped the screen of her iPod, 'waking' it up. She scrolled through a list of songs, and then backtracked to select a video, pressing 'play'.
She settled back into the comfortable chair.
Half an hour later, to the alarm of Ayumi, she suddenly began to sob, tears running down her cheeks.
"Wh-What's wrong, Kagome-chan? Why are you crying?"
Kagome raised her tear-filled eyes to meet her friend's concerned gaze. It's just so saaad…" she wailed, then buried her face in her hands. She raised a trembling finger to the screen of her docked iPod. "K-Kyo's mom committed suicide and Tohru ran after Kyo when he transformed and...and…it's just. So. UNBEARABLE!"
She howled tragically, and dissolved into tears again. (AN: The finale of Fruits Basket the anime was heartrending. I cried buckets too!)
Ayumi sweat dropped. Was she serious…?
Relieved, she sighed. "Kagome, don't get me worried like that. You looked like someone just ran over your dog."
Kagome let out a watery sniffle, wiping her eyes. That had definitely done her some good…too bad there weren't any more seasons, she thought with a frown. The manga was complete, so they should have made more episodes (AN: And yes, this is my shameless rant about the injustice of anime with only 26 episodes XD).
Oh well…Ouran High School Host Club next!
***6 Hours Later***
The plane struggled to land, battling the winter storm in zero-visibility. Winds wailed around the aircraft, shoving it up and down and to and fro. Luckily, though they touched down with a jarring THUMP, they were safely on the icy runway. A collective sigh of relief went up from the passenger cabin.
The last hour had been touch-and-go, with an unexpected, drastic change in the weather. Fierce winds, hail, and sheets of snow buffeted the carrier unceasingly. The plane barely managed to land on the tiny airstrip that had only a figure in a red parka waving orange cones of light to alert the pilot to where it was. At last, the first leg of the journey was over.
"Okay, everyone out!" called the teacher after the 'all clear' whine from the intercom had lapsed into silence. Everyone released the catch on their seatbelts, getting up to retrieve their belongings from the overhead bins.
Gusts of wind whisked into the cabin as the lone flight attendant pried open the door leading out. Bone-chilling tendrils of cold air seeped into the cabin and caused their skin to shiver into goose bumps.
Outside was below freezing, and Kagome's teeth chattered as she peered out of the gaping hole in the plane's side, filing down the narrow aisle and out the door with the rest of the teens.
A slap of wind snapped past her ears, so she shut her eyes. When she slowly opened them again, her mouth rounded out into a small 'o' of wonder as she took in the incomprehensible sight.
Miles and miles of snow panned out in every direction. The land had a hard, cold beauty-literally.
Drifts of frozen snow glinted, reflecting the lurid lights of the signal cones and the plane's metal carriage. The strong wind kicked up flurries of snow, the light powder dusting the air and lending an otherworldly glow to the swirling vortexes of air, eventually settling to sparkle on the bare ice.
Past that, she could see only blue ice extending farther than the eye could see—save to her left, where there stood an impassive range of blue-black mountains in the distance. She could barely make out the snowcapped peak of the most prominent crag.
A bit to her right hunched the Quonset hut, a battered refuge in the midst of the turbulent storm. It stood; resembling a crookback old man huddled twixt two sprawling snow banks. Ice piled high against the walls. Only the door was scraped clean of frost.
"Alright, kids, everyone into the building." The teacher ushered the shivering teens through the door.
Inside, it was dimly lit and roomy. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, excluding the computers and assorted monitoring equipment hastily shoved up against one wall, and a few metal fold-out chairs strewn around the room. Kagome took in the cavernous space wearily. It didn't look like much, but it was definitely better than sleeping outside.
A chill slid down Kagome's spine and the fine hairs on the back of her neck lifted. Skin prickling, she stiffened and whirled around. Her eyes flew about wildly, scouring the room and doorway.
Nothing…but she could have sworn…that she felt eyes staring at her back.
She narrowed her blue orbs, shielding her eyes with a hand and warding off the stinging flecks, squinting out into the white-cloaked distance. Silence. It was no good—she couldn't see a thing in this weather.
She shook her head violently, shuddering as she tried to shake off the ominous feeling of being watched. Maybe I'm watching too many horror films, she mused as she scurried into the dark space. It was making her jump at shadows. She just missed spotting what appeared to be a shifting patch of snow blurring across the landscape. The soft glow of the moon glinted off the silver fall of hair…
"I have some bad news. Our planes engine has iced over and a few parts have to be replaced. Unfortunately, we don't have the parts since the nearest outpost with supplies is in Nome, Alaska. The flight that was supposed to pick us up here has been delayed until further notice due to the severe weather conditions. It's grounded in New York right now, but the storm should let up enough for it to pick us up sometime tomorrow. Until then, we'll have to postpone our trip and try to wait it out. I'm afraid we're stuck here."
A groan of dismay came from the students congregated around the ring of scrounged sleeping bags. Students huddled together in small clusters for warmth and companionship. The general consensus was that they were cold, hungry, and miserable.
This meant that they would have to spend the night there, a prospect that no one looked forward to. With eerie winds keening like screams of the damned outside the cabin walls, it was nightmarish. And if the storm didn't let up soon, the unrest percolating in the room might escalate into a full-blown panic attack. Already there were a few mild cases of cabin fever, and it had only been three hours since the class had retreated into the shelter.
Ayumi slowly turned her head to look at Kagome. Kagome had seemed dazed and uncomfortable ever since the storm kicked up. Her eyes were glazed over and she was shaking slightly. She wrote it off as shock and exhaustion, and decided to just leave her to rest.
"Until we get word back from the central airfield, we're going to have to stay here. So make the most of time here. Try to relax and get some sleep." A few grumbles came from dissenters; but all the tired students settled down quickly, bunking down with friends to murmur quietly amongst themselves.
Kagome glanced over at Ayumi. Her friend hadn't been affected at all by the ordeal. Five minutes through the teacher's soliloquy on the rules they would have to abide by, Ayumi had gone out like a light. She was now snoring softly, oblivious to the gravity of the situation. So like her…
Kagome sighed, leaning back against the wall. She snuggled down into the fleecy warmth, swaddled by the insulated fabric. Maybe sleep would come soon. Though it'll probably be riddled with nightmares, she added silently. The world outside was much too similar to the setting in her ever-present dreams for comfort. Ignoring the feeling of unease twisting in her belly, she closed her eyes, and drifted off into the misty recesses of semi-consciousness. Slowly, slowly, she relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
Kagome woke with a start. Blinking away the sleep film from her eyes as she looked around, she was relieved to find herself still inside the hut. Her heart pounded in her ears as she gasped for breath.
The dream had struck again. But this time it had been clear; focused; and so real. The stark terror that had sunk its claws into Kagome's heart began to fade, replaced with confusion. She shook as the adrenaline pumping through her petite body took hold, her lungs screaming for air. She breathed in deeply to calm herself.
The thing chasing her hadn't just followed—it had caught her. She recalled struggling in the thing's iron grasp, but after that, she had whited out before she could catch a glimpse of her attacker's face. Then had woken up to what seemed to be an extension of her nightmare.
Something fell into place.
She suddenly paused. Something was…strange. She could feel a pull.
An urge to walk outside.
She distractedly reached for her coat and duffel bag, slipping into the garment and buttoning it up after wriggling out of her constricting sleeping bag. Pulling on her socks and shoes, she snatched up her knapsack and walked over to the metal door. Running a small hand down the cold steel, she rested it on the doorknob. Then she turned it. Click. Scraaaape…
A screaming gale blasted her full in the face, but even her hair whipping about her head in a wild halo and stinging her cheeks wasn't enough to shock her from her daze.
Determined, she pushed out into the blistering cold. Taking a few hesitant steps into the bitingly cold drifts of snow, she turned to face the mountains. Small powdery eddies of snow whirled round her heels. There…that's where it's pulling me.
Someone is…calling me…she thought blearily. Need to…I have to…
…wait.
She blinked.
An indistinct shadow swam into focus. Another blink. She narrowed her eyes, struggling to through the icy white curtain that swirled around her…she could just make it out…
It was a pure white, almost silver furred dog, standing at the edge of the campsite.
She somehow found herself moving toward it, and with enormous effort, halted.
The dog backed away slowly. It flickered strangely, in and out of sight…now a boy stood in place of the dog. A strange boy, with long silver hair, tanned skin, and golden eyes like beams of sunlight cutting through the bleak whiteness. On his head…were those...dog ears?
He smiled alluringly, beckoning her closer with an outstretched hand. Again, she found herself cautiously stepping through the snow, following him as he kept moving just out of reach and lured her away from the silhouette of the Quonset.
He wouldn't stay still. It was infuriating!
As she stumbled toward the apparition, he stopped abruptly.
She collided with him. He was solid, REAL…and so warm. She fuzzily noticed him wrapping his arms around her, enfolding her in a cocoon of body heat and safety. She unconsciously snuggled closer to his warmth.
Lowering his lips to her ear, he whispered, barely more than a breath.
"I've been waiting for you."
The wind howled, and the waves of unconsciousness lapping at her feet washed over her and pulled her under into the welcoming darkness.
*On her hands and knees, gasping for breath* ….NEVER…AGAIN…will I rent my house out to insane figments of my imagination. And where did Shippo get that giant nutcracker…? Thank GOD they're all asleep. Finally. Anyone have a box of duck tape and a few thumb cuffs for next time?:D
Oooh. cliffhanger! I be so evil! Now PRESS THE BUTTON!