Kouga sat up and immediately assessed his surroundings. He was inside a shallow cave and early afternoon sun was beaming through. He looked down at the bandages that wound around his torso and casually began to rip them away. His lips quirked into a smirk as he examined the pink abrasions. The faint scent of Kagome lingered on the cloth and Kouga momentarily savored it before casting aside the bindings and slipping through the exit.
Ginta and Hakkaku stood just outside, watching their leader emerge. Kouga looked from one to the other, "What's your problem?"
"How are you feeling, Kouga," Ginta asked.
The young warrior held out his arms and gave them a slow turn, then put his hands on his hips. "Well, I hope the two of you have enjoyed your down time, because we've got a lot of ground to cover and we've already lost half the day."
"You say that like it's somehow our fault," grumbled Hakkaku, "and anyway, where are we going – Naraku's scent is nowhere to be found."
"We're not going to find it sitting around here," shot back Kouga, "besides, I'm sick of this place – that dog-turd is too close by."
Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged knowing glances.
Suddenly Kouga paused in the middle of his restless movements and looked around with a frown, "Hey, where did that Rhane-girl get to?"
The girl – who'd maintained wolf form since leaving Inuyasha – lay dozing in the underbrush. She'd hoped a nap might help the nagging pain in her shoulder that remained from her encounter with Kagura. She had no particular destination. She knew she was welcome among Inuyasha's group, but felt too much like an outsider among them. Whereas they all had a common objective blending their otherwise drastically different walks of life together, she felt rather like an unnecessary and odd ingredient added to a pot of stew. Sleep was her only respite from the isolation.
She was roused by the swift approach of footsteps followed soon by a collection of scents she knew well. The wolf sat up and watched Kouga come into view and slow down while Ginta and Hakkaku caught up with him. He frowned as his nose caught the wind.
"Alright, I know you're nearby, Wolf-girl, are you going to come out?"
With a resigned sniff, the wolf rose from the brush and stretched; her back suddenly became erect and the fur vanished from her body as the human girl stepped dutifully from her hiding place. "Aye, Kouga, ye wanted something with me?"
The demon cocked his dark head at her, "What kind of weird greeting is that? We're getting ready to leave – what are you doing all the way out here?"
By that time the other two had managed to cover the ground to where Rhane and Kouga stood and were busily catching their breaths. Rhane remained facing the Head of the wolf tribe. "I came out here because I needed tae think about some things." She squared her shoulders resolutely. "I appreciate yuir hospitality – all of ye," her eyes darted toward the other two and quickly away, "but I ken that I cannae stay with ye –"
"Are you saying you don't want to stay with us," interrupted Kouga.
"Not at all, just that –"
"You'd rather go with Dog-Turd's group?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying; I just cannae allow myself to be a burden anymore."
"Rhane," Ginta gazed at her as if she'd suggested something shocking, "you're not!"
Kouga stood with his arms crossed and an analytical look, "What gave you the idea that you were a burden?"
Rhane fidgeted, not wanting to admit to anything she'd heard earlier. "It isnae hard tae figure out the way things work around here – it wouldnae be proper for me to keep company with ye would it? I've learned at least enough to know that respectable demons dinnae consort with mortals like me. That isnae tae say that ye haven't been kind tae thole me for as long as ye have – I'll aye be grateful tae ye…" she trailed off and stared down at the leaves, knowing nothing else to say, pierced to the spot by his ice-blue eyes.
Kouga made no objection to her declarations, but only continued to study her with the same unnervingly cool expression. "Is that everything," he asked finally – the sound of his voice mercifully releasing her from the discomfort of his silently piercing stare.
"Eh, I suppose," she mumbled, deflated.
"Good – because I think I know more about what it is to be a 'respectable' demon than you do." He turned and strode away, throwing over his shoulder, "When you become a burden, I'll let you know." He continued walking past his two panting lieutenants, "you're no more a burden than they are."
"Heeey!"
Rhane blinked at his retreating back, then toward the expectant stares of Ginta and Hakkaku.
Knowing that she was wanted among the wolf demons felt like knots she had scarcely noticed before being untied over her body. Her neck felt loose and her shoulders no longer ached from her recent injury with Kagura; her stomach and chest felt suddenly more relaxed than they had since even before she'd arrived in ancient Japan. The release of these knots only drew attention to other anxieties yet unresolved – the most immediate one being her relationship with Hakkaku. The foursome traveled some hours following Kouga – saying little and scarcely stopping so she had scarce time to contemplate her awkward situation with him.
The most notable event of the day turned out to be when they were momentarily held up by a young demon stranded on a rock in the middle of the rapids after apparently having ventured too far into the stream. The juvenile cries pierced the noise of the rushing water as the group of wolves approached. Rhane gasped as her searching eye caught sight of a small anthropomorphic bear in a brightly colored jacket crying plaintively for its mother as it clung to a wet rock. A moment later and the other three stopped and returned to the spot where Rhane had come to a halt – observing the distressed cub that had distracted their female companion. Ginta and Hakkaku automatically turned to Kouga for direction. Kouga exchanged a quick glance with Rhane, knowing that if he did nothing she would simply take matters into her own hands. With a sigh, he leapt through the rapids, navigating each step with the ease of a cat – before landing on a small space right beside the demon child. The large brown eyes stared tearfully up at the wolf, a fresh wail dying in his throat.
"Where is your mother, brat," the wolf wanted to know.
Trembling, the cub pointed far up the stream. With a grunt, Kouga picked it up by the back of the coat and carried the child to the other side of the stream. "Stay out of the rapids from now on unless you want to drown," he warned as the cub scrambled up the bank and soon disappeared from sight. Rhane stared at the back of his brunet head, thinking once again of how similar he was to Inuyasha, though knowing better than to ever voice this within his hearing.
They never did manage to locate Kaugra or Naraku's scent and eventually came to rest beside a crevice in the foothills. After a dinner of fish, Rhane slipped quicly off to sleep. She awoke with a start to find Hakkaku sitting beside her early the next morning. As soon as he heard her stir, he silently stood and signaled for her to follow. She looked to find Kouga sitting erect further up the Cliffside, his face turned toward the rising sun; she wondered if he'd even slept. Ginta was nowhere to be found. With equal stealth, she got up and went after Hakkaku.
"Am I the only one who needs to sleep around here," she wondered aloud to him after they had walked a few minutes.
"I did for a while," he said falling into step with her, "but mortals need more rest than we do."
"Where did Ginta get tae," she asked self-consciously.
"He's getting our breakfast."
"By himself," she wanted to know.
Hakkaku waved her question off, "He can manage; besides, I wanted the chance to talk with you.
Rhane's heart skipped in her chest, "Ye did?"
Hakkaku found a tuft of grass and sat down, indicating for her to sit next to him. She did so and noticed that they were surrounded by many small, sweet-smelling white flowers. Rhane watched Hakkaku grow suddenly distracted by his feet as he sat cross-legged next to her and ran his hands absently over his furry shin-guards. She waited for a few moments before touching him lightly on the knee at which he started.
"Sorry, ye were going tae talk to me about something?"
"Yes!" He gave a nervous laugh and stared at the place she'd touched him, repeating "I wanted to talk to you…"
Rhane began to grow worried as she watched him hesitate, she wondered if perhaps she was being thrown out of the pack after all. "Huv Ah done something?"
Hakkaku's brows knit together, "What? No, of course not – I didn't mean – "his hands cupped the sides of his head wearily, "I'm not doing this right." He abruptly changed positions, shifting away from her before continuing, "I know that there are things about us that you don't like, but I hope you feel better about being with wolf demons now."
"Aye, I do," she replied to his turned head somewhat ruefully.
He gave a slight nod off in the distance, "That's good; we – I – also like having you with us."
She studied the visible quarter of his face doubtfully, "Ye've scarcely made eye contact with me since the business with Kagura ended – I wisnae certain what ye felt."
He chanced a surprised look at her, "I – " then paused, turning away again, "I guess I didn't know myself."
She wasn't sure why she felt such a stab at his reply, but before she could think better of it, she blurted, "I heard ye talking with Ginta – I ken ye're afraid of what might happen if I'm around."
His gaze jerked to her for a moment; he flinched as if she'd thrown a rock at him. "I guess you've been around me long enough to know that I'm afraid of a lot of things," he admitted, "but I'm also afraid for your sake. I don't want to make you unhappy."
"Dinnae fash yuirself aboot me!"
Hakkaku suddenly became red in the face, "What about you?"
She frowned in confusion.
"I mean, how do you feel about me – as a man?"
Amidst her conflicting emotions, Rhane suddenly felt a growing clarity that emboldened her. She removed the gloves from her hands slowly and deliberately and brought them up to his face. She lightly traced the contours of his pointed ears allowing her fingers to trail across his cheeks and chin, down his neck to his shoulders. She felt his pulse throbbing. A second later and Hakkaku's own hand, warm and rough, was over hers, Squeezing it. Even in human form she could smell vaguely his distinct musky scent – a combination of sweat and pelts. She found herself leaning in closer to take in the aroma. His breath blew hot against her cheek and she thought for a moment that he would kiss her.
"Rhane," he said at last.
"Yes, what is it?"
"I was just wondering: wh-where do your clothes go when you become a wolf," he grew even redder if it were possible.
She sat back, stunned, "Whit sort of a question is that?" Quizzically she transitioned to half-form – her costume automatically transforming into a thin collar around her furry neck. Once she looked him over with her infrared-sensitive vision, she could actually see where the blood in his body was being directed.
Rhane wanted to do several conflicting things at once. Her offended upbringing grappled with another more primal impulse that was ever lurking below her innocent surface. She finally decided on something in between the two and stood up, regarding him with a piercing look. "Maybe someday ye'll find out the answer tae that, but nae today." There. Danni would have been proud.
Kagura stared blankly out at the bleak craggy landscape where she had been stuck for days. Lazily, her eyes slid across to the motionless girl sitting dutifully against the stones and holding her mirror. Undoubtedly, Kanna knew what purpose Naraku had for stationing them at such a remote outcrop, but as usual, no one was sharing such information with Kagura. The witch suppressed a sigh.
Even weeks later now, she still pondered if the old spider suspected her of anything. She didn't believe he knew of her plan to use the tree to free herself from his grasp, but as she had thoroughly failed in her attempt, the fact seemed largely moot. She doubted he would kill her if he knew, and if he were going to punish her, she reasoned that he probably would have already done so. Perhaps shackling her to the outlier she now occupied was her punishment.
The words of the water geezer returned to her: work with these others in order to destroy the one called Naraku. She made a sharp hissing noise through her teeth, and then remembered that Kanna was right next to her; the girl, however, made no indication that she'd even heard. Sesshomaru had sniffed at her when she'd offered him jewel shards in order for him to kill Naraku – now it seemed even a deity was laying the responsibility on her shoulders. When even a god was too afraid to fight Naraku, what was she expected to do – and with those people? Kagura was far too independent; she did not work well with others – it was just how she was made.
She willed herself not to worry anymore about it. She hadn't agreed to anything or asked the old fool to save her, but even if she had, there was nothing she could do. Kagura would simply have to bide her time until another opportunity presented itself.
After another large span of time had passed, the witch at last stood and rolled her stiff shoulders. She shot a quick look at her sister incarnation, "I'm going to survey the area – I won't be long." Without bothering to wait for a response, Kagura summoned her feather and departed.
With her feet off the ground and the rush of the wind carrying her aloft, she felt suddenly free. The temptation to simply take off without looking back was so compelling it nearly overrode her sense of self-preservation. Kagura reluctantly obeyed her better judgement and swerved back, making a wide circle around the parameter of her station.
Several rounds later and still nothing to report, she knew she needed to return. She was about to head back when something glimmering on the ground in the distance caught her ever watchful eye. Kagura zeroed in on a strange pair of figures that appeared spontaneously upon the barren landscape. From her great height, the deomoness's keen eye could decipher what appeared to be a girl and a man dressed in foreign garb. Something within her stirred in anticipation, and eagerly she descended to confront the two strangers.
They did not appear frightened as she landed and returned her feather to its place in her hair. With the grace of a dancer, she then drew her fan from her sleeve and held it below her chin – observing them carefully.
"We have no intention of fighting you," the man finally spoke in perfect Japanese, "We came here in search of a missing friend."
Kagura's dark lips spread into a smile, "Is your friend by any chance a girl who changes into a wolf?"