Avalanche by Luna

Down the Mountain

Standard disclaimer applies - I don’t own anything of Inuyasha.

Summary: A misspoken wish leads to a mistaken case of identity, leads to a future Kagome receiving a guest she didn’t want to entertain, while alone on a mountain shut off from the world by a blanket of snow. A different twist on the typical blizzard/blanket scenario.

Okay folks, this will be my first entry in The Second Ultimate Fanfic Tournament Challenge!

Round One: Down the Mountain

Prompt: Tender Loving Care

Paired with: Hairann

Genre: Drama/Romance

AU/CU: CU, Divergence

Rating: K

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 4,477

Summary: Kagome finds herself receiving an unwanted guest…

Challenge Link (without the spaces): http: / / www.dokuga.com/ forum/ 29-challenges/ 64798-second-annual-fanfiction-tournament?limit=25&start=25#64875 

Don't forget to go to the link so you can read Hairann, too! Just remember that you can tell me how much you Lo~ove/Like/Dislike/OH MY GAWD THIS IS HORRIBLE in the reviews, but please send your vote to TangerineDreams in a PM so she can tally the winner! Thanks!

...

Avalanche

Down the Mountain

By: Luna

“…a thousand paths and an infinity of dreams. Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go. Hopeless, we are lost forever.”

...

Kagome’s phone rang, startling her out of her daydreams, and she silenced the ringing with a sigh as she answered her phone.

“Kagome-chan, come quick!”

Kagome sat up straight in her high backed chair, phone pressed to her ear. “What is it?”

The phone crackled loudly before she heard her little brothers voice again. “It’s a man! I literally tripped over him. I think he got caught up in the blizzard and was trying to make it to your place.”

She owned the only inn on this side of the mountain. Of course Souta would assume that he was coming here. But then, if he wasn’t, then why was a man out in the mountains by himself? “I’m coming, Souta, hold on!”

“I dragged him to the wood shed, but man, this guy weighs a ton. I need help.” Souta cursed in the background, and then the line went dead.

Kagome ran to the door, wrapping herself in her thick jacket, beanie, and snow shoes before opening the door and sliding outside. She ran to the wood shed as fast as she was able, but the wind was blowing hard and it made progress difficult. As soon as she opened the door and stumbled inside, Souta was there to help steady her.

“There he is.” Souta said grimly, pointing to a man slumped against the wall.

Kagome’s eyes widened. “Is he even still alive?”

“Yeah, but don’t ask me how. I don’t get how anyone can survive out there in this weather without a jacket, yet this guy is in… kimono. Really, really old fashioned kimono.” Souta said, eyeing the man again.

Souta shook his head and moved near the mans shoulders. “Come on, we have to get him inside before he really does freeze to death. Man, what was he thinking? He doesn’t have a single warm piece of clothing, and I couldn’t find a car. What was he trying to do? Walk here? The snow is gonna kill him!”

Together they dragged the man through the nearest entrance to the inn, which was in the family wing, and put him in her late grandfathers room. “Where did you find him again?” She panted, trying to get her breath back.

“Down the lane on my way back. I couldn’t turn the car around because it’d probably slide down the road at this incline, so I left it there running.” Souta wiped his brow with the back of his hand, still staring uneasily at the man. “I’ll go get the car and try to get it back here.”

“Nonsense.” Kagome said, her hands on her hips. “Mom needs you, and I take care of customers all the time. It’ll be fine, and you can’t leave the car out there and you and I both know you can’t turn around until you get to the bottom of the mountain.”

Souta still looked a little uneasy. “Have you ever cared for someone… like this?” He blushed slightly as if he were embarrassed. “Kagome, the man looks like he’s in the yakuza or something.”

They both looked back at the man and the strange markings on his face. Kagome sighed and started to pull off his boots. If they stood around talking the poor man really would die, from hypothermia this time instead of frostbite. “Just go, Souta. I can handle this.”

Sighing a little in frustration, Souta gave her a quick hug and made her promise to call him if she needs help. Kagome didn’t mention that by the time he got down the mountain, it was very unlikely that he would make it back up. A blizzard was coming in and they would be trapped up here for at least a week.

Kagome ran a Minshuku, a traditional Japanese bed and breakfast she named simply Higurashi‘s. It was similar to a ryokan, but lacked natural hot springs. They hosted large enough bathing chambers, both public and private, but they were man made, and with the coming of winter she shut off all heat except for the family wing.

Her Minshuku used to be family operated by her grandparents on her fathers side, but when they died in a car accident a few years ago they had given it to Kagome in their will. It was just as well, Kagome thought with a sigh as she wrestled the man out of his clothes. Souta certainly didn’t want it. He was only seventeen and liked living in Tokyo, and her mother continued living on her family’s shrine as its caretaker, even after Grandfather had passed away. Kagome was twenty-four, and as eldest the responsibility fell on her shoulders.

Besides, Kagome liked solitude. She didn’t enjoy living in the city, and after she graduated with a degree in economics she came to the inn and hadn’t felt any inclination to go back. She was usually quite busy in the summer and spring, yet business slowed down in the fall and she closed the inn during the winter.

His boots finally thudded to the floor, and she huffed slightly as she looked at the rest of him. Was he wearing… armor? Looking closely, she noticed the cuirass, and the rusted remains of what might have been a pauldron over his left shoulder, yet she could only see where it might have been attached to his chest plate.

His kimono was dirty, and had probably been white at one point except now it was a dirty gray, and there were faded red honeycomb and flower crest at both the collar and sleeves. His hakama was gathered at his ankles, and his socks were soaking wet. She pulled off his socks, and touched the toe of one elegant foot with her finger, and drew back with a hiss when she discovered him warm…

Warily, she felt around him for the buckles that held his chest plate together; she was aware of the unnatural heat he was emitting, and was cautious because of it. When she went to loosen the leather straps, they were already so tattered that she realized she could slide the cuirass off without fuss, and did so.

Soon, he was laying naked, and Kagome quickly covered him with a blanket, her cheeks burning. He had a beautiful body, all lean muscle and clean lines; broad shoulders, broad chest, elegant hands and fine arches. She avoided looking too closely, lest she embarrassed herself to the point where she wouldn’t look at all, and then it would be a little bit awkward trying to clean him with her eyes closed.

Grabbing a few towels, she left his clothing where it lay on the floor and toweled off his long hair, which was thick and wet and… silver? Drying it as much as she could she made short work of braiding the long length and laying it over his shoulder before gathering more blankets and covering him. She would do what she could for his clothing, but she doubted any of it was salvageable. The silk was ruined past the point of no return, but she didn’t want to be accused of not trying.

Stuffing the weird armor in the closet, she took the silk with her and left it in the laundry room before making tea and broth, hoping that it would revive her unexpected guest. She set the tray to the side and leaned over him with a soft towel, dabbing at the markings on his face and wondering if they came off or if they really were tattoos. They made him look exotic, and staring down into his face made her realize that her patients face was as beautiful as his body.

Really beautiful.

And whatever was on his face wasn’t coming off.

Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, frowning in confusion. His temperature was fine. He wasn’t burning up, he wasn’t freezing up, and he wasn’t suffering from… anything. He just looked like he was sleeping. A cold, hard kind of sleep that left his body warm and his mind shut down. Was he in a coma…? She wondered why he had been wondering the mountain alone.

Patting his cheek gently, she tried to rouse him. “Sir…? Sir, please wake up. You need to eat something.”

The man didn’t stir, not even when she gave him a little shake. Worried, she drank the tea herself and sat by him as she slowly drank the broth, wondering what she should do. She didn’t trust herself enough not to choke the stranger in an effort to feed him, and she couldn’t call out for help. There was no need; no one would come to her mountain in this weather. She was alone. The telephone lines were sure to go down, and during the winter she only heated the family rooms.

She didn’t know what else she could do for her guest, so she stood and brought in a large bowl filled with soapy warm water. She washed him up as best as she was able to (avoiding his private areas, which she covered with a bathing towel) and then tucked the blankets back over him. She pulled out an extra futon and laid down, not willing to risk being elsewhere when he woke up, possibly needing assistance. As the minutes turned into an hour, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and allowed herself to slowly succumb into sleep…

Kagome blinked sleepily in the dark, wondering what had woke her up. She looked around, but everything was the same and the man was still laying next to her. She turned on the bedside lamp before turning to her patient.

She squeaked when golden eyes were glaring back at her. She put a hand against her pounding heart. “You scared me.” She told him before reaching out to check his temperature, even though he didn’t have one before. She did not notice the narrowing of his eyes, the stiffness of his features, or the hostility in the lines of his face when she touched him. “How are you feeling?”

“What are you doing here, miko?” His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a very, very long time. Or maybe he was just thirsty, she thought, and went to rise for water until his question registered, and she paused.

Kagome blinked confusedly down at him. “Um, I live here, sir. And I’m not a miko.”

Those golden eyes were already icy, but turned glacial at her correction. “What games are you playing?”

O-okay. Kagome sat back on her heels and stared at the man for a moment. “Sir, I honestly don’t know what you are talking about. What is your name? How did you get here?”

“Sesshoumaru.” The man’s voice was fading, and his eyes started to lose focus as if he were about to fall back asleep. There was a fierceness in his eyes, as if he did not want to sleep, but could not fight the compulsion of the spell.

Blinking where that thought came from, she smiled at the man encouragingly.

“Okay, Sesshoumaru-san,” Kagome said. “Do you remember anything else?”

“Sesshoumaru-sama.” His eyes focused abruptly again in a glare, glowing eerily in the almost-darkness like a predator, and she shivered without knowing why. Fear was crawling up her spine as she stared into that sharp featured face, made beautiful by elegance, yet seemed deadly in the shadows.

Not human.

Kagome blinked, then shook her head at her wandering. She was creating scenarios in her own head, frightening herself. It was pointless. “Um, okay, Sesshoumaru-sama. Do you remember how you got here?”

He sighed, long and deep, and started to look sleepy again, off focused again. “Spell…” He stopped, and his eyes cut at her again, before he turned that regal face away, dismissing her. She found it odd that he had yet to sit up; she wondered if he was even able to. “Leave me, human.”

Sighing a little, thinking that maybe being out in a storm knocked a few screws loose, she tried asking a different question. “For a moment there, it seemed like… like you knew me, or something. Why did you think I was a miko?”

He was completely unfocused now, as if he could barely keep himself awake. “You made a… foolish wish. A horrible wish. A good wish. A cursed wish…”

“Er, okay.” She said after his voice trailed off. “What wish?”

“You fought with Inuyasha… when the jewel was completed.” He started whispering, his voice drowsy, the predator leaking out of his face as if it had never been. As if she had imagined that look that told her that, for a moment, he had wanted to kill her. “About what wish you would use.”

“What wish?” Kagome whispered back, reaching out to once again to brush his bangs away from his forehead. And who’s Inuyasha?

“I wish… I never met you… and that none of this ever happened.” Sesshoumaru fell asleep after those words, whispered so soft Kagome barely caught them.

Kagome froze, staring at her sleeping stranger, a feeling of something stir in her breast at his words. She sat back, uncomfortable, confused, and a little wary. This man was dangerous, and she was glad she sent Souta away.

She shook her head, wondering where the thought came from. But it sounded right. And it frightened her more than the expression on his face when he focused on her for the first time, that expression that hinted at more than violence, more than…

She was being ridiculous. She had to be. She was in a strange situation with a strange man that did not know who he was - who she was - and she was frightening herself unnecessarily.

Kagome sat with him for a long while after that, frowning at nothing, and wondering what on earth she was supposed to be doing with a delirious man.

She was making breakfast the next morning when he came into the kitchen, his feet silent, his expression hidden by the shadows. She wondered at the feeling of danger she felt, and shivered when she felt something fill the room with him, something invisible that felt like power and burned. She rubbed her arms, trying to dispel the sensation before she turned to him with a smile.

“Good morning, Sesshoumaru-sama!” She chirped. “Are you hungry this morning? I wasn’t expecting guests, so I don’t really have the traditional fare I would normally serve, but would you still like an omelet?”

His eyes were narrowed, focused on her face. Then he was in front of her, and she didn’t see him move, and he was tilting her face into the light so he could breath in her scent and was pleased. “Your fear… wasn’t there before.”

She swallowed hard. “You never frightened me before.”

His eyes sharpened, but he released her and stepped back, looked away. “I don’t eat human food.” He told her coolly in reply to her earlier question. “And I will not take anything you prepare.”

Kagome cleared her throat, fighting uneasiness. “Well, we only have human food, and I bet you’re hungry. Would you like to try some anyways?” Kagome asked, edging towards the knife rack… just in case.

Sesshoumaru glanced at her from over his shoulder, as if he had seen her move and had been amused by it. “I wouldn’t try it.” He cautioned. Kagome froze, watching him with wide eyes as he stared out the little window above the sink. “When am I?”

It took a while for Kagome to translate that question. “It’s… two thousand eleven… January…”

Sesshoumaru froze. “Are you certain?”

“I’m positive.” Kagome said, more confused now than anything. Something inside of her was screaming threat! but just as before it was like a curtain fell over his features, and he didn’t seem dangerous anymore. Or, it was more that he did seem dangerous - but was distracted and wasn’t interested in her anymore.

“Are you okay, Sesshoumaru-sama?” She asked hesitantly. Maybe he suffered from some sort of stroke, or hit his head while wandering outside in the storm. It might be stupid, but it was what she chose to believe. She didn’t want to think he was some sort of serial killer for her own piece of mind, even his name did mean death.

He looked at her finally, his face blank, but there was a trace of… something, in his eyes. “You do not remember me.” He stated.

He wouldn’t be someone easy to forget, Kagome thought. If she had met him before, she would have remembered. “Sorry if we’ve met before, but no, I don’t remember you, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

He huffed slightly and leaned against the counter. “I thought not. You have never been this polite.” He breathed deeply again, and something about that action made her think he was pleased. “And this smell… it is good.”

Ignoring the confusion that comment caused, she turned decisively towards the cutting board and cracked more eggs into a large bowl. “Would you like to eat? You’ve been asleep for a long time, and human food is better than nothing.”

He frowned at her. “You do not believe me.”

He spoke so matter-of-fact, and it was a little odd for Kagome since rarely did she meet someone so… concise. Crazy or not, the man did not lack confidence… or arrogance. Kagome didn’t meet his eyes as she started grating cheese. “Sorry, but everyone eats human food. Even dogs.” She added blithely, and didn’t catch the way he stiffened. “You’re obviously a man, and somehow I don’t see you eating puppy chow.”

Turning to him, she blinked at the intensity in his eyes, that flash of something that made her think of… what? She didn’t know.

“What?” she asked, a little self conscious at his continued scrutiny.

“You do not know what I am.” He stated again, flatly, but there was an odd light in his eyes. He watched as she whisked the eggs together, adding a little milk. “You do not know who I am. It explains much.”

“Like what?” She asked, chopping up red and green bell peppers.

“Your sometimes fear. Your manners. Everything.”

“Okay so… what are you?” she asked gamely. She hummed a little as she poured some egg into a flat pan, waiting for his answer.

“Hnn.” Sesshoumaru waited a beat. “I do not think I’ll tell you.”

Forcing a laugh past the constriction in her throat, Kagome turned to him and tried to make herself relax. Why? Why did his presence so... Unsettle her? “Why? Are you playing coy?”

He didn’t blink, but some inner… instinct told her that he was surprised by her teasing. “Hnn.” He ignored her after that.

She added cheese and the bell peppers, along with the tomatoes she had already cut up before he came down. “It’s nothing fancy. I usually serve my guests better, but since I kind of like boring stuff this will have to do.”

“Explain.” He demanded, and followed her slowly to a low traditional Japanese table.

As soon as he sat down he stared down at his omelet that she made, then up at her. She smiled apologetically. “Next time I’ll serve the traditional fare of rice and miso soup, if you prefer.”

“Hnn.” He did not touch his food, but there was something in his expression that hinted at… disgust? As if he did not like the fare, though that was impossible because he did not eat. Was it the smell…? In the end, Kagome ended up throwing his away.

After their meal he followed her back into the kitchen on feet that made no sound. It was a little disconcerting, having him follow her around like a wraith, studying her. She tried her best to ignore it as she started the dishes. She felt him staring at her and sighed, speaking without turning around. “What is it about me that you are curious?”

She looked over her shoulder at him with a raised brow when he didn’t say anything. “You keep staring at me.” She said as way of explanation.

“I’ve never seen you wear anything proper.” He replied, still staring at her as if she were a Martian. “It is… surprising - that you are able to dress sensibly, like a normal human.”

Kagome huffed and turned back around, suddenly feeling self conscious in her simple yukata and the apron she put on for the dishes. “This is a minshuku, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

When he didn’t say anything she kept going. “It’s similar to a ryokan, Sesshoumaru-sama, only there are no hot springs, just a regular bath - both public and private, although I do have one western style bath reserved for guests.”

“Your point?” He asked lazily, and she gave another angry huff.

“My point is that it’s a minshuku for a reason. Traditional Japanese dress is always worn. Even though right now we’re closed because of winter, I still like wearing yukata for comfort unless I have to go outside.” She put the dishes on a drying rack and faced him, and even though she was preparing herself for it, her system still jolted when she met his unblinking stare. “And since you don’t really have any clothes, you’re going to have to wear that anyways.”

Sesshoumaru’s head cocked to the side slightly and he narrowed his eyes, though Kagome felt it was more in curiosity than in anger. He was looking at her like she was puzzle, and it confused her. Had they really met and she had just forgotten…? She didn’t think so. His presence was so powerful; she literally felt it licking at her skin, overwhelming her. He was power, she thought, and again wondered why he had been wandering around her snowy mountain, and what hand of fate had it been that led him to her door…?

“Speaking of baths,” she said, clearing her throat. “I can show you where it is. While you’re in there I’ll be able to change your sheets.”

He looked a little amused. “You are saying I smell?”

Kagome flushed. “No, of course not, Sesshoumaru-sama. It’s just that you appeared very… dusty.” She floundered at his silent stare. “Wet, obviously, from the snow, but your clothes were filthy, like they were some dusty relics.”

“I am a relic,“ he mused, though he didn’t seem as if he enjoyed the thought. There was bitterness lining his words… Sesshoumaru stared at her for a moment longer before shrugging; just the slightest movement of those broad, broad shoulders. “You may show me how to use your baths, since you lack a hot spring.”

Kagome instantly frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Do not make me repeat myself.”

She shook her head, flabbergasted, and motioned for him to follow her. She demonstrated to him how to turn on the hot and cold water to find his desired temperature, even as far as to show him the shampoo and conditioner and which one to use first, and then gave him an extra pouf and body wash. He listened to her very attentively, asking questions, and then dismissing her as if she were a servant.

She supposed that technically she was in a serving position; but it was off season, and this Minshuku was still her home. His presumption of authority rankled her, even as she turned to show him the extra room where the toilet was, and the handle to flush.

“I, uh, hope the rest is self explanatory.” She had told him, blushing.

When she left him she was still confused. She left out another clean yukata outside the bath before going to change the sheets on his bed. She wondered if maybe he had amnesia, because he was acting like this was all new, as if he’s never seen or used any of it before.

And that was impossible. Wasn’t it? Even the most rural areas of Japan had the idea of indoor plumbing and electronics…

She was frowning again when he came back to the living room, smelling fresh and his silver hair even shinier than before, falling loose down his back. It was ridiculously long, yet the style somehow suited him. She lost her frown quickly and smiled at him.

“Um, Sesshoumaru-sama… have you ever heard of amnesia?” she asked, a little hesitantly and hoping he wouldn’t take offense. She decided that she would treat him the same way she treated all wild animals; with caution and great distance.

“Hnn.” He sat down near her, making her tense, and leaned up against the wall. “I have no knowledge of this era.”

Taking that as an affirmative, Kagome relaxed slightly. “Well, that explains things.” She shifted a little. “Uh, I have another question.”

He shrugged, but since he didn’t say no she rushed into her question. “You said something before… something about a wish.”

No emotion crossed his eyes, and he hadn’t moved an inch, yet tension suddenly filled the air. “… This Sesshoumaru mentioned… a wish?”

“Er, yes. And a spell too. But mainly something about a wish.” Kagome cleared her throat. “About someone named Inuyasha. What did you mean?”

Sesshoumaru stared at some point over her shoulder for a moment before meeting her eyes. “You will not believe this Sesshoumaru. So I will not answer that question.”

She opened her mouth to counter him, but he cut her off with a terse, “Enough, miko.”

“I’m not a miko!” She growled back at him. “Quit talking to me like I’m someone else!”

For a moment, she could have sworn his eyes flashed red, and she saw that death again - but he was standing and walking away from her in the next moment towards the front doors. “Where are you going?” She asked, scrambling up after him. “You can’t go out there!”

He seemed amused again, if deadly. “It is amusing,” he said softly, a warning, “to think that this Sesshoumaru would ever listen the likes of you.”

He slid the first doors open and she followed him, but when he got to the front door, she weakly told him he had to twist the door knob first to open it. Then he disappeared, barefoot, out into the snow.

He was already a figure of white; the minute he stepped outside, the snow swallowed him, and he disappeared from her sight almost instantly.

Kagome just stood there staring at the place he disappeared, not knowing what to think, not knowing why something in her screamed to follow, to remember…

But she turned around and slid the door shut behind her, expecting to never see him again, while wondering why that thought so disappointed her.