Eyes like smouldering coals locked on Ginta who was certain he could feel them roasting him where he stood. Face to face with her for the first time in his life, he failed to grasp how the frail woman before him had single-handedly slaughtered all of the fierce Eastern wolves. The intensity of her stare alone made him suddenly appreciate how prey must feel right before being devoured.
"Why don't you just give it up," she smirked, "you have no chance against me." Her words were smug but truthful.
"Maybe not, but I do," Ginta cast a quick glance behind him to see the priestess training her arrow on the demon woman. The young lieutenant felt his knees go watery with relief at Kikyou's assistance. Hastily recovering his own resolve, his gaze returned to Kagura, a new found defiance blazing behind his eyes.
"I told you to stay out of this, girl," spat the witch angrily.
"Not until you tell me what Naraku's plans are for that bewitched water you stole," demanded the miko.
Kagura flinched slightly at her incarnator's name as her scarlet eyes automatically scanned the skies – then promptly brushed it off with a scornful cackle. "Which should I be more afraid of – some third-rate demon and an expired shrine maiden, or betraying the unstoppable monster that holds my very life in his hands?"
"I see. So you want that water for your own purposes." The archer regarded the other woman with a piercing look.
"I never said that, mind your own business," snapped Kagura, clutching her fan defensively.
"Tell me;" demanded the priestess undaunted, "how long do you actually think you'll be able to get away with sneaking around behind Naraku's back like this? He could already be onto you."
"If Naraku had suspected any disloyalty on my part I'd already be dead by now," the other shot back.
"And yet, here you are…"
Conceding at last, Kagura smiled evilly down her nose at them, "if you're so convinced that I'm working against Naraku, you should want me to have that vial back. After all, it would be in your own best interest as well."
"Just because you wish yourself free from his dominion doesn't make you an ally," objected the human, "I still don't know your exact purpose for wanting it or how you possibly think a little bit of water – even enchanted water – will do anything against Naraku."
"Let me worry about that," sniffed the other woman impatiently.
"Not if you foolishly give him another weapon to use against us!"
"Idiot, it's like you just said; what use do you think Naraku would possibly have for the damned water? He's already more powerful than you and Inuyasha combined. And who says I'm trying to destroy him; I'm not that stupid," Kagura clenched her dainty teeth savagely, her red eyes burning wild and desperate, "You're going to ruin everything!"
"What are you talking about," spoke up Ginta.
Without listening, Kagura flung her wind blades angrily in their direction. The wolf demon dove for cover as the priestess fired a warning arrow that the sorceress narrowly dodged. "I swear to you I will have that water one way or another, whether you willingly hand it over or not!"
Kikyou merely reloaded her bow, not saying a word. A fight now seemed inevitable.
"Give it back," snarled the demoness, refusing to back down.
"Hey," shouted an authoritative voice suddenly; both women directed their attention to the almost forgotten Ginta who now reemerged with a newly determined air. "Listen up Kagura; I'll show you where it is!"
Wearing matching shocked expressions, the two gaped at his inexplicable change of heart.
Sprinting with Kouga proved an enormous challenge for the little red wolf who remained a few paces ahead of her adopted pack brother, yet barely within sight range of their leader.
Rahne's fully attuned senses reeled. She half ran half stumbled down a steep incline in her struggle to follow Kouga's scent even as Hakkaku's rising panic blazed like a rampant fire at her back, driving her onward. Both young men were frantic to reach their endangered comrade before it was too late – but especially Kouga who shouldered the burden of responsibility for his subordinate's situation.
Whenever the swift footed chieftain did manage to loose them completely in their mad chase (not something incredibly difficult for the shard enhanced demon) they always eventually found him awaiting them with barely repressed irritation before he plunged on to leave them in a cloud of dust once again. The Scots lycanthrope felt her own sense of urgency very acutely; in fact, had she access to her human faculties at the moment she might have paused to consider how rapidly she'd come to regard a pair of wild, demonic youths that she'd met barely two days ago, as family. Her bestial mind, however, could only register one thought at the moment: find Ginta.
Rahne could feel herself rapidly running out of steam. Hakkaku was now steadily outdistancing her, and more than anything, she longed to pause for a drink and to catch her breath. Forcing all thoughts of weariness away, she pushed her sturdy though merely mortal body to its limit, determined she wouldn't be a hindrance to the other wolves. Though she wasn't a demon, she didn't want them thinking she couldn't pull her own weight. Her muscles burning with fatigue, the young changeling wasn't at all certain how much longer she could continue at the pace they were moving. She felt she would finally collapse when Kouga unexpectedly came to a dead halt. Unable to react in time Rahne managed to blunder into the back of Hakkaku's legs as the other skidded to a stop at the chief's side. Collapsing on himself like a folding chair, Hakkaku landed heavily on top of her.
Kouga glared down at the panting heap at his feet and grunted, "He must have taken the stream; the scent gets patchy here." The wolf boss pointed toward the small body of water flowing down the valley and away into the thick brush. A similar rivulet was coursing its way steadily down Kouga's abdomen to drip lazily from his thighs. Rahne eyed the gore anxiously as she transitioned enough to gain access to her vocal chords.
"Ye cannae go on like this, y'know; yuir nowhere near healed up enough" she pointed at the dark drops spattering his feet, "all this exertion's only reopenin' yuir wounds!" She carefully disentangled herself with the mohawked demon, at the same time looking to him for added support, "let Hakkaku and I find him before ye end up killin' yuirself!"
Hakkaku braced himself for Kouga's forthcoming explosion while hesitantly agreeing, "we are in better shape than you to handle Kagura if it comes down to it, boss."
As expected, the long haired demon's face reddened in outrage toward the disloyal pair. His lips pulled back on an angry retort that dissolved into a groan as he suddenly sank to his knees. The blood that had soaked liberally through his bandages now almost completely saturated his loin pelt.
His lieutenant knelt beside him beseechingly, "Stop before you bleed to death, Kouga! We can't loose you!"
Kouga's blue eyes remained defiant. He opened his mouth to deny any weakness, but his traitorous throat closed up on him as he spoke – spraying red-tinged spittle in a coughing upsurge. The fit gradually passed, leaving the proud leader trembling and groaning. With great effort he attempted to rise back on his feet only to collapse helplessly onto the muddy bank once again.
Catching his breath, Kouga looked with resentment up at his companions who stared calmly back at him – 'only because they know they've won,' he thought bitterly. It seemed to Rahne a silent battle was waging behind his intense glare as he finally spoke. "Hurry up and go then, will ya...just don't try anything stupid with that witch!"
The lieutenant automatically drew a deep breath to argue, and then paused as he mentally replayed Kouga's words. "Um, right," agreed the startled Hakkaku, scarcely able to believe he'd heard the other demon correctly "don't worry about a thing, Sir." He carefully stepped around his injured pack leader, giving him a last uncertain look before rejoining the human girl.
"Wait," Kouga called sharply to their retreating forms, Rahne and Hakkaku glanced apprehensively back. "Like I already said, don't do anything stupid like try and fight Kagura…" (Rahne couldn't help but find the statement terribly hypocritical) "If she does show up and cause you too much trouble, tell Ginta to – tell him I said to show her where he hid the stinkin' bottle." Both could see the effort it took for the indomitable head of the Eastern Wolf Tribe to make these sacrifices, yet no one could argue against the priority of protecting his remaining pack family – even at the cost of pride and revenge.
Rahne's tender heart nearly burst for him; she was rapidly developing a new level of respect for the arrogant and rather standoffish young man. With a secret smile, she turned back to follow Hakkaku down the stream.
No longer having to keep up with Kouga's breakneck speed, the going became much easier if not exactly leisurely. Even though the scent was simple enough to pick back up in the shallow water, there were still moments in which they had to pause in order to find it again at certain patches. Hakakku would often wait when she began lagging and allow her to catch up or look to her for assistance when he was unable to find their friend's meandering trail again. The fourteen-year-old was shyly grateful for the chivalrous gestures. He, however, was just relieved to have her support – and keen nose.
"D'ye really ken we should ha' left poor Kouga bleedin' out in the open th' way we did?" she asked anxiously.
Hakakku gave an uneasy frown, "not entirely, but we have no other choice do we – besides, at least now he can find a place to bed down and rest; I don't think anyone will bother him."
"Yeah," the girl agreed as she trudged up to a narrow drop off and peered carefully down, "I recon tha' fan-wielding lady is only interested in Ginta now."
The other merely grunted his agreement as he joined her beside the ravine where a small waterfall spilled into the stream below. "Which did he do: jump over or climb down," wondered Hakakku aloud. "Look, there's his footprint on the other side; he must have jumped."
"No, I think he climbed" she disagreed, "the scent leads down!"
With a curious snort, the demon made the leap for himself and sniffed the air for his brother's distinct aroma.
With his highly developed sense of smell the young male – like all other wolves – was able to actually see scents. To Hakkaku's nose, Ginta's smell was a deep reddish brown color. He'd carefully watched it grow more and more vibrant with every stride he took, and now he could indeed smell it leading decidedly into the thickening brush beyond; he turned to announce that he'd been right (more than a hint of smugness flaring up inside him as he'd begun to suspect the young girl's olfactory sense as being a bit keener than his own) only to pause in mid-breath. Head jerking abruptly downward he realized a second trail – fairly more strong and recent – ran like a dark maroon-colored blaze down the same side of the cliff. Hakkaku decided Ginta must have fled to the woods initially, but then turned around at some point only to head back to the same spot and climb down.
Hakkaku stared curiously into the distant trees and scratched his chin, "I wonder…"
"What is it," called an impatient Rahne.
He grinned over at her sheepishly, "we were both right, but I think we'd do better to take you way after all."
The reddish werewolf shot him a knowing grin of her own as she placed her hands triumphantly on her hips, "wha'd I tell ye?"
Hakakku just shook his head as he began making his way down the chasm. Glancing back he could see the fiery-haired girl still smirking as she followed his lead.
"He cannae be far now," Rahne announced hopefully as they waded through the rocky stream at the bottom of the cliff, "th' scent couldn't be more than fifteen minutes auld."
"Right," muttered the wolf demon, shooting a look over either shoulder as he moved closer to the girl. "Be on your guard though." He only hoped his brother was still well and in one piece, for as the scent grew stronger, so did Hakakku's anxiety.
Amidst his brooding thoughts, the young man was soon startled back to the present by a new and baffling turn of events smacking him in the face. He found Rahne's solicitous green eyes already upon him as she voiced the latest quandary before he could decide whether he'd suddenly lost his nose or even his mind.
"Och, Hakkaku, th' scent just ends!" She gestured around the spot they stood in, turning in a circle, "Ah'm fair jiggered – where could he have gotten tae?"
"I don't know," he replied, taking in a deep breath, "but I smell sour earth."
"And…death," Rahne whispered after a long pause, one clawed hand clutching her chest.
The spiky-haired demon made a slow revolution around his smaller ginger companion as he took in the surroundings. An unsettling idea was already creeping into his addled brain. His eye traveled almost involuntarily toward the skyline. "Wherever Ginta is, I doubt he's alone."
Whew! Okay, another extremely difficult chapter down. Hopefully pretty soon I'll gain some idea of what I'm doing. Thanks for all the helpful reviews so far; they've really encouraged me to stay on task (well mostly... sorry for the delay as always.)
