Disclaimer, I do not own anything in reference to Inuyasha.

Wild Heart

Chapter 10: The Compromise

She knew she had to talk to Kouga about him leaving; she couldn't help the deepening pit of dread from growing in her stomach every time she thought about him leaving to fight. Was it just something all women felt when their loved ones went to war or was this something else?

She did know she regretted coming on foot.

Shun and led her so high into the mountain that she could now see well over the trees. It was a lovely sight and she wished she had more time to study it but the aching in her bones and the sharpness in her feet kept her attention to the task at hand. Which was (at the moment) a task of climbing this slope to a cave.

It took them at least two hours and by the time they came to the flattened plain of existence, Kanon was drained of energy and having trouble breathing. Shun gave her a worried look and patted her hand, the only warm part of her entire body.

Kanon saw a cave opening at the wall of the mountain; it was closed by two woven pallets of maroon and yellow in swirling foreign designs. They weren't the only ones here waiting however.

"Little sister!" Hakkaku came forth, his eyes large and full of excitement as his brother Ginta gave and took her by the hands before rubbing her fur colored shoulders.

"You don't look so good, here . . . sit down." He brought her over to where he and his brother and the other 'guest' was previously waiting, giving her another pelt to place over her legs and the brother took either side, Shun to Ginta's side.

Yuu was also here, his strange red hair out of place, his stance nothing short of bratty. He had an impatient look and gave it to her much to her surprise.

"You can't be so sick if you, a human, came all the way up here . . ." His tone was unlike any she'd heard from him and it made her wonder if this was the real face, if the blatant boyish-ness from before had been an act and if this snooty brat-man was the real thing. She turned away and looked at Hakkaku,

"Did you hear something?" Ginta chuckled and gave Shun a playful look who grinned right back. Shun was quiet suddenly before she looked up with a heated gaze.

"Hey, wait a minute. How dare you talk to her like that?" He sniffed and looked away.

"Got the hots for her too Shun ole boy?" She growled and Kanon looked to her friend, Shun was beautiful, nothing boyish about her other than her habits.

"You are just jealous she has tastes for real men!" He jerked his head to her and growled louder then she had, a challenge, to which she answered by jumping up and crouching a bit forward.

"I can take some dirty old lesbian any day!" He was mean and Kanon was becoming upset. She stood up slowly and put her hands up; both wolves looked to her, Shun with surprise and Yuu with disbelief.

"Don't fight, there isn't need for it. I'm fine and Shun, you are alright, its only words, sounds from his mouth. Say your harsh words to each other and leave it be. What can you two not work out in fists that you can't in words?" She couldn't even remember what had possessed her to say anything of the such. A whispery chuckle came from behind the pallets and two wolves showed their faces. A withered old man with long white hair and pale blind eyes stood barely to the hips of an angry Kouga. He had a small sack in his hands,

"What is this? You two would pick a fight here of all places?" He fwapped Yuu harshly and clipped Shun. Kanon waited for the second time in her life here for him to show his anger at her and yet again, his gaze softened and a look of worry crossed briefly over his features.

"Kanon . . . what are you doing here? You should be resting." A pouty Shun nodded, rubbing her ear,

"I told her so . . . you know how stubborn and scary she is when she wants her way. . ." The old man, presumably Yamasaki, gave a bark of a laugh.

"Such a strange spirit, this human woman. She breaks up fights between wolves and travels up a mountain to argue a pointless topic with a man just as stubborn as she . . . Come in child, this way . . ." Everyone was blank faced and silent as the old blind man beckoned her into his cave, she followed with a small limp about her. She gave Kouga a small passing look as she entered but he didn't follow. She let the old man travel with her to a small inclined room with a fire pit and a various pelts lying around. A section was in circled by strange white stones and he gestured her to it. She then saw there was pebble like objects in the middle; he sat on one side and motioned for her to take ahead of him. She did so and looked closer at the pebbles, they seemed to have letters on them.

"They . . . make words?" His thick silvery brows went up, blind eyes shining in the firelight.

"Yes . . . they do . . . What do they say, girl?" She bit her lip at his strange tone and she looked back to them, holding her hair back as she squinted to see them. Her eyes widened a bit and he chuckled and she wondered if he was really blind.

"Well?" She licked her lips,

"Vengeance is sweet but what is often sweet comes at the price of . . . bitter . . . sour?" He chuckled again and nodded.

"Magnificent . . . girl . . . a thousand years I have had these stones . . . a thousand years and neither wolf nor mortal has ever been able to read them . . . what a strange soul you have with in you." Her heart began to beat fast and she swallowed roughly.

"W-what do you mean?"

"What are you, Dan Kanon?" She looked away at the use of her name, what was she? She thought about telling him she was just a human girl with no worth but somehow that bit more then she was willing to let.

"I believe . . . I am just a girl who wants the wrongs that have been done . . .made right. I feel as if . . . the balance here is not right anymore." He was silent for a long moment after her words and she wondered if that had been the wrong answer. He reached forward suddenly with his gnarled hand and tossed the pebbles around.

"You seem to have inherited an ancient spirit of kind justice . . . your want for things to be right is a true wealth, child . . . be proud." She worried her lip and it pained her so she stopped. What did that mean? He gestured to the rocks that were now in disarray.

"What do you think the runes had meant?" She sat straighter and wished he hadn't asked, she had to rack her brain in order to remember what she'd read in the first place and when it came back to her she drew up blanks for meanings.

"I'm . . . not entirely sure." He nodded and stood up wobbly like, she too followed suit.

"You will find out soon I am afraid." It was then that Kouga and come in, a solemn look about his darkened features. She walked to him and he made to place his arm around her but stopped, letting it huddle around her as if to move her by energy. They were once outside yet again and she realized she had to make the trek all the way back down and huffed, she wished she'd been able to rest a bit longer. Kouga turned to his wolves,

"You guys take the short way, I'll take Kanon myself." Ginta and Hakkaku nodded, Yuu wasn't around and Shun gave him a doubtful look.

"You might have to carry her. . ." Kanon huffed at Shun who grinned and raised her hands before she too was gone. She began the slow and a bit painful walk downwards and had to hold on to Kouga a few times out of fear of slipping somewhere; the frost had become thicker and was now slippery ice.

"Kouga . . . are you still leaving for the village tonight?" She looked up to try and catch his oceanic eyes but he was looking elsewhere.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" She looked across the forest from the view and wondered how she had ever gotten so deep into this sort of thing. She gripped his arm harder and looked up at him to which he finally caught her dark gaze.

"Take me with you then?" He snorted,

"To the village? You need to rest, especially now that you are starting to babble nonsense. . ." She let go of him angrily and winced when she folded her arms too quickly, he was watching her with an amused tint.

"I want to go with you." He rolled his eyes and shook his head no, once. She saw his grip on the herb bag tighten.

"No." She growled and his eyebrows rose at her. She made a fist,

"So, I won't be staying here with you then, I'll leave with Airi when she goes home!" Her voice had been angry and a bit shrill and he could see the stress she was under. She barely stopped her anger to think about the fact that her parents had no idea what was going on. He chuckled,

"Alright then, that's fine with me as long as you are safe there." She stopped and it took him a few steps to realize she had. Hurt was in her eyes.

"You want me to leave?" He hunched his shoulders and he knew what this was . . . female stuff. He raised his free hand,

"Whoa now, you are the one who said you wouldn't stay here."

"Only because you won't take me with you to the village! Ugh, you dolt!" She stomped her foot and muttered a small ouch, realizing she was acting absurd. She looked up with her tender eyes to see tender eyes to match hers; Kouga was watching her with a bit of natural wildness there.

"Kanon . . ." He came to enclose the space between them," We have a long ways ahead to the pack . . . come on." His voice was gentle and it worried her a bit. She took one step and her chest heaved and she began to cough violently. He held her towards the mountain and away from the sight of trees until she could finally breathe. He made to scoop her up to carry her and she stepped away, waving her hand to deny him. They began to walk and she looked up to him.

"Why won't you take me?" She saw him look to the herb sack and back to their destination ahead and it was at least 15 minutes of silence when she realized he was ignoring her question. She poked his arm.

"Kouga, why?" He gave her a shush look and continued on, she wasn't having this though. She put a hand on her hip and pouted.

"Kouga, tell me!" She whined at him and he stopped a faint though of wonderment of how illness changed the personality of a person.

"Did you not just nearly suffocate yourself from coughing a moment ago? Did I imagine that?" His eyes were stormy again and she clenched her hand to her chest. She looked away before coming back to his heated glance.

"I need to make sure you live through this winter before I can even think about taking you to battle with me. Better to miss this one and live then to miss all the others in your lifetime." His voice was strange, tense, as if he had so much more to say and she hadn't realized until then she had really grown on him. She mattered more than just a trophy or as a show and tell. He turned around and made to keep walking before he threw a last comment over his shoulder.

"You are to rest in the den until you are better." She walked a few steps further so she wouldn't lag behind too far and couldn't help but think this wasn't right. There were far more innocent people at the village, should she be resting in a den to get well when her wolves and innocent humans kill each other or should she go and help distinguish between the deserving and die herself?

"I don't think my illness should be questioned upon whether or not I should go." He stopped and turned to look at her angrily. He was before her without a single blink and she held her breath,

"What makes you think you can handle a village of blood and vicious wolves when you couldn't handle a few dead bodies and one pissed off wolf?" He was growling from his chest and gooseflesh rose on her skin, she could literally feel his anger.

"You can't judge this situation based on a first time account, I wasn't prepared for that!" She saw a snap of canines and something so feral she felt she'd pass out but she held her ground and even as the scariest of snarls came right to her face she stuck her chest out and gave him her best intimidating look. He backed off, eyes strange and full of an emotion she wasn't sure what it was called. He tilted his head, his attempt to scare her hadn't worked and he was in a disbelieving circle of truth. She was changed and he had been the one to propel her into such change.

He let out a sigh and nodded towards the path to which he helped her back in silence, they were both thinking too deeply for any more arguing.

I was back in the warm den, familiar pelts, my sister, my . . . love interest (if you could even call him that) and a warm cup of tea that tasted much like . . . something floral and exotic. Kouga reached forward and patted my knee much to the disgust in my sisters eyes and with a warming gesture,

"Make sure you drink the whole cup, I'll have Shun bring you more in a few hours." I nodded and he looked like he was going to lean forward and kiss me again but Airi's hot glare probably prevented him. He stood and exited and her eyes were on me next.

"I feel that your relationship with him . . . quite inappropriate." I knew that it was already, I took another sip of the tea and nodded.

"Yes, to our kind it would be, to wolves . . . not so much. In the pack themselves as a family they are very affectionate. Loved ones are very precious here." I had the feeling that I'd only seen one side and that the other side I had heard of was probably the other end that was based on some truth. They left to hunt and I was sure they probably killed brutally; they were demons after all, not an average wolf.

I still wanted to go with Kouga though, I was tired now and not enough energy to fight but . . . if I had to do just that . . . I would. I looked into my tea, this tea that is supposed to help me recover . . . pft.

"When we go home, father will see to it that you have a real doctor, try to hold out until then." I looked to my sister, her makeup gone and her hair tied loosely behind her back. It had looked like she had tried to clean her kimono but hadn't quite been able to. I took a sip of the tea before I realized I did have a bit of leeway. It was dirty and rather low but it was something.

"Airi-san . . . can you . . . bring Kouga back please? I wouldn't ask you if it was important." Her eyes bugged out at the thought of going out and trying to wrangle a wolf demon back but she silently stood up and stiffly walked out. I tried to grin but the skin was pulling too tight.

I think he must have been hanging around because sooner than I had expected she was back and he was in tow, a worried look on his face. I felt bad already, so guilty that I wasn't sure I could do it now . . . no, I had to. I saw my sister sit too and I wanted to ask her to leave but knew she'd offense.

"Kouga, I am to drink this tea to get well again yes?" He tilted his head, already suspicious. I set the tea down,

"Well, unless you take me with you, I won't drink it anymore, I'll just waste away." The den filled with a growl and Airi gasped, leaning towards the doorway. I turned my head,

"If I have to force you to drink it . . ." I scoffed at him, I had to play the nothing to lose card. It was then I realized that he quite possibly . . . could force me to drink it. . .

"Why are you so hell bent on going? Is it that you want to fight or that you want to save?" I looked to him, proud he had been able to gather such things, he wasn't all brawn and muscle, and I had known that though. I suppose I wanted to prove that demons were people too now that my sister was here.

"I think . . . you should hold off charging in. Wait a while and think about it . . . maybe killing isn't the best way after all." He closed his eyes as if he were tired, maybe he was. The words of the runes came flying back to my mind and I wondered if this was what they meant.

"What about a compromise?" I would have tilted my brow had I been able to; he was the last person I thought would compromise on this.

"You finish that cup, drink the one Shun will bring you and I will wait until tomorrow night to leave." I felt that this was probably the best thing I was going to get until I could come up with something further to bring him to his senses. I nodded and picked up the cup of tea to sip so to show him I agreed. He chuckled and put his clawed hands before him to lean over and brush a peck against my temple; he chose to ignore my sister this time. He got up and stopped at the doorway,

"I think Yamasaki was right, you are a demoness at heart." Airi went red in the face and I could only give him my best, or worst, smile. I knew it was a complement and not the insult I was sure my sister was taking it as. I was so engrossed in my 'win' that I hadn't noticed the strange look my sister had passed with Kouga before he left, least, not until later when it hadn't mattered.