And here's another chapter for you :D I do hope you'll enjoy it :] And thank you all for all the wonderful reviews. Hope you keep them coming, you know they're always welcome :3 Happy reading everyone!
Many thanks to Kanna37 for edits :)
ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:
SariaForest14: In most cases, yeah… but maybe this one will get a little easier to stomach once you see what I have planned with it? Drama aside, of course :3
Random (reviewed for chapter 23): I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I have to ask though, why was a blushing reaction so surprising, considering that a) Kagome's not used to that kind of attention for the most part, and b) Miroku was being completely serious and she knew that? I just can't see why it's so surprising… but then again, I was the one who wrote it LOL Thank you very much for the review, hope you continue to enjoy :]
Inulover: Probably. Question remains when, though :D
InuGome: Well, if I rished him and made him realize all that so soon, where would be the fun in that? Come on, we all know his denseness is part of what makes him him LOL As for the whole sayings thing… I admit that I put a few in the last couple of chapters without really realizing it :D I never pay much attention to that, they just got there on their own, I swear! And now you made me curious what this pack-thing made you think about *sigh* Maybe You'll tell me, eventually? Thanks for the review and glad to hear you liked it. I look forward to hearing from you again.
blackreader27: Why, thank you. You always manage to make me blush in embarrassment LOL But I AM glad to hear you like it :3 Thanks for the review.
CatchySayo: Why would the words 'wolf-demon' spell excitement for you? *sweatdrops* Wait, don't answer that. I don't think I really want to know, not that I don't have an idea *winks* Anyway, thanks for the review and hope to hear from you again :D
Misty Blue: I certainly hope I won't disappoint you in the excitement department *smiles slightly* Why don't you go on and read the chapter and tell me later how I did, ne? I'll be looking forward to that :3
happyface2107: Thanks for the review, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed. And as for your question(s)… do you really think I'm gonna answer them? LOL Read on and find out! :]
hello-anime: 'I win some I lose'? What do you mean? *insert confused face here* You'll find out who the wolf is as you read on, ne :3
Tracks for this chapter:
V6:Way of Life
GazettE: Miseinen
Breakers:
XxX: change of scene
~ξ~: time-skip
乗: Beginning/Change/End of Flashback
Ю: Beginning/End of a story told by one of the character (the parts in bold between the stars are what the present them are saying as a small narrative)
Ж: Change of POV (mostly used within a story told by several characters)
[T] and [/T]: Beginning/End of soundtrack
Reminder: 'Inuyasha' written normally refers to Inuyasha, while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) refers to Kagome, the "Gentle Dog Demon". 'Hanyō' written normally means "half-demon", while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) it means "half-breed".
Chapter 25 – The Rogue Wolf-Demon
Kagome breathed in deeply, allowing her nose to take in all the smells of her surroundings and to see if there were any changes in the current situation. Aside from a few low-level yōkai vermin which she had long killed off, there hadn't been much demon activity around since the previous day. As for the wolf-demon she had smelled at the beginning of the night, he had yet to get closer or further away from them. The young half-demon frowned.
When she had first smelled the ōkami, she had been fairly surprised, but not because wolves weren't common in the area. Quite the contrary, in fact. If nothing had changed in the past fifty years, then this was the territory of a pack of lower-level wolves who often hunted for food in proximity of the cave – this she knew, because when he met with her here, he had often been prepared as far as food was concerned. As he had always been the first to arrive, he hunted and prepared the meat, making sure to keep it near the cold waters of the lake so it could last a couple of days. This meant, however, that the lower wolves tried to get to that food. They never succeeded, though, unless neither he nor Kagome were near, hence why the pack learned where to get easy food from time to time.
Still, what had surprised her hadn't been the presence of the wolf itself. Rather, it was the fact that this wolf was obviously alone. That alone was reason to be suspicious. Wolves, just like dog-yōkai, were pack-demons. They didn't wander alone. And it was obvious this one wasn't part of the pack of low-level wolves that lived in the vicinity, because he (or she, Kagome couldn't tell from scent alone) tried to avoid them, instead of joining them.
A soft groan jolted Kagome out of her thoughts and she turned her head towards the source of the sound. Inuyasha blinked a few times, the last remnants of sleep fleeing his eyes before he slowly sat up and shook his head, most likely to wake himself up further.
"Damn, am I imagining it, or is it really hot in here?" the black haired kannushi asked, not directing his question at anyone in particular. The first answer he got was a soft, but most likely negative murmur from Miroku. The monk was already awake, but simply refused to open his eyes or get up. Considering the perverted smile on his face, Inuyasha could well imagine why he was like that, although he was glad not to know the details. The second answer was far easier to understand.
"It's not just you," Kagome replied calmly, her eyes having once again moved to what was outside the cave, rather than its occupants. "It's humid because of yesterday's rain, so that makes it seem hotter than it really is. And I'm quite sure the lack of wind and the fire isn't helping you any." It was only then that Inuyasha actually noticed that indeed, the fire they had built the previous evening to keep themselves warm was still burning strongly, heating up the cave more than it already was because of the hot, humid air from outside. He was about to ask why it hadn't burned out yet, but he refrained when his still-sleepy eyes noticed the meat that was roasting over the flames. The sight of the food woke him up completely, though.
"You went hunting?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes rising once again to the half-demon girl sitting by the entrance to the cave, surprisingly sitting in the exact same spot and position as when he went to sleep, as if she had never moved at all. Kagome nodded mutely, her eyes still scanning the outside while her nose twitched and kept tabs on the surroundings in its own way.
Her answer wasn't entirely truthful, though. She hadn't exactly gone 'hunting', rather 'collecting food'. The difference lay in the simple fact that she hadn't even had to leave the cave in order to get the meat, as she found it in the same spot he always kept it at when he stocked up for them. It was also rather obvious the meat wasn't fifty years old, not that it could, considering the wolf-pack living nearby. But that made Kagome realize something that made her feel just a tiny bit happier. 'He must have been here a mere couple of days ago,' she thought with a smile. And if he had been here not long ago, and thought about stocking up like he always had all those years ago… that had to mean he still hoped to meet her again, right? It meant he hadn't forgotten. It had to mean that. What else could it be?
Well, there was one more possibility, but the lack of any scent in the cave allowed her to hope that it wasn't something she needed to worry about it.
The heat and the scent of food finally forced Miroku to wake up all the way. Shippō was soon wide awake, too, and the two of them, along with Inuyasha, slowly started to eat. Inuyasha needed a little persuasion, though, as at first he tried to leave the meat for the others and eat his own stuff, until Kagome informed him that there was a portion for him already waiting. After breakfast, Inuyasha quickly packed up his sleeping bag back in his backpack and was pretty much ready to set out again. He was a bit grumpy, however, since for the last couple of days, Kagome absolutely refused to spar with him. He could see her point, though. Even if it annoyed him, he had to agree that he had to heal completely first before being able to fight again – and if Kagome's predictions were anything to go by, then the fastest he could hope to recover was within a little less than a week, and that only if she kept giving him a few drops of her blood each day, a thing that had almost become some sort of an evening ritual for them both. A ritual he appreciated in more ways than one, though he'd never say so aloud. The obvious reason was that it helped him recover sooner. The other was that it proved Kagome cared and it also proved he trusted her. Or at least, he hoped she saw it that way.
"What's wrong, Kagome? Why are you so worried?" Shippō asked suddenly, just as Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask if they were going to leave anytime soon. The kit's question, however, made him shut his mouth and look at the half-demon instead.
"Shippō is right, you seem very worried over something, Kagome-sama. What is it that bothers you?" Miroku asked calmly, nothing in his face indicating that not even an hour ago, he had been having very un-monk-like dreams and thoughts. Kagome sighed.
"It's that wolf I've been smelling since yesterday," she replied tightly, her eyes still scanning the immediate surroundings as if she were expecting danger any second. Inuyasha had never seen her this agitated before, and it made him feel a little stressed, too, for some reason, but he didn't show it.
"You mean the wolf you mentioned after yesterdays… incident?" he asked, hesitating slightly as he remembered Miroku's stunt, which he had almost been accused of committing along with him. Kagome nodded again and Inuyasha raised one eyebrow questioningly. "What about him? You said he wasn't nearing us, right? So what's the problem?"
"He isn't getting further away, either," the young hanyō replied, narrowing her eyes. "Besides which, he's alone," she added, as if that explained everything. As far as Shippō was concerned, it probably did, but neither human could grasp what the Inuyasha was hinting at.
"Is that not a good thing in case of an attack? It is far easier to deal with one demon than with a herd, after all," Miroku tried to reason, his words very wise, had he only been speaking of another type of demon.
"You seem to forget, Miroku-sama, a lone wolf is not that much of a common thing to find. To find a loner means he's either no threat at all, or he's extremely dangerous. And more often than not, it's the latter. Wolves are like dogs. They live in packs," Kagome replied with a sigh and shook her head. She didn't like it one bit. She knew from experience that a lone wolf, or any lone demon that should by nature live in a pack, was a yōkai that should be avoided. There was a reason they did not have a pack, and it was never one that could be overlooked.
[T]
"Says the dog that has no pack herself," Inuyasha muttered under his breath before he could think otherwise. Kagome visibly stiffened and only too late did the black haired priest not only notice that she had heard him, but also understood what he had just said, as Kagome's words from an evening long before they met Miroku resonated in his head.
"Pack… means family."
Resisting the urge to punch himself, Inuyasha slowly glanced at the half-demon, expecting her to lash out at him, or maybe respond with a neutral 'whatever' and pretend she wasn't affected by his words. He didn't, however, expect her shoulders to sag and her ears to droop as Kagome lowered her head, while Shippō turned around to glare at him, the young kitsune also very aware of what the kannushi had recklessly pointed out.
"You're right. I'm not one to talk, am I," Kagome replied quietly before gently shaking her head. She might have restrained herself from yelling, but her words hit Inuyasha's ears louder than any yell could ever have. He winced at her saddened tone and looked at his own feet. 'Way to go, dumbass. Go and remind her that she's all alone in the world, why don't you,' he chastised himself in his thoughts, before another idea came to his brain. 'But wait, she isn't alone. Sure, I may not be her family or her pack… but I'm at least her friend, aren't I? And friends stick together. Even I know that…' question was, did she still think of him as a friend after what he'd done not so long ago? Could she possibly think of him as such after what had happened with that demonic sword?
Part of him wanted to believe she could. A big part of him was hoping that despite what had happened, she still thought of him as a friend. But an even bigger part of him feared it wasn't the case – that it couldn't be the case. And if it wasn't, could he really blame her? He tried to kill her after all, and later even thought it was the other way around. Frankly, he was surprised she had stuck around after that first fight, instead of leaving him alone. Surprised… but grateful.
"Don't listen to the baka, Kagome. He doesn't know what he's saying! You do have a pack. We are your pack now, aren't we?" Shippō said, obviously trying to cheer the hanyō up, although she was also certain he meant every word. But he was small. For him, finding a new group he could call a pack, or which at least almost felt like one was easy. But it wasn't the same for her.
"Yes, of course you are," she answered with a smile as she gently grabbed the fox from her shoulder and hugged him close to her chest, hoping that his fox-nose wouldn't be strong enough to detect her carefully hidden lie. She didn't want to see his disappointment at the true answer, but the truth was, they weren't her pack. She didn't have a pack and she'd most likely never have one. She was a hanyō. Hanyō weren't supposed to have packs. Hanyō were loners. Outsiders. She was no different.
But Shippō didn't notice her lie and only smiled widely at her. The other two were more observant, however, and while they didn't have demon-noses or ears to smell or hear, they still knew she wasn't being truthful. Miroku wisely decided to keep his mouth shut on the matter, though. As for Inuyasha, he decided to apologize for putting his foot in his mouth in the only way that could possibly tell her that not only was he sorry, but he hadn't meant a word – and really, he didn't. It had just slipped out.
"Listen to the runt. He actually makes sense when he wants to. And he's even right sometimes, too. We are your pack," he said, the last sentence being whispered only loud enough for the half-demon to hear, as if Inuyasha was afraid to say it loud enough for Miroku to know. Kagome eyed him quizzically before her eyes narrowed.
"You shouldn't throw the word 'pack' around so carelessly," she replied just as quietly, although a tiny smile forced its way onto her face and Inuyasha couldn't help but smile back lightly. She seemed to have forgiven him that little slip-up. "Anyway, let's get going. Standing around here won't solve anything."
Although she had been the one to say it was time to leave, she was actually the one who stalled the longest. As Inuyasha and Miroku started walking, Kagome stopped at the entrance of the cave and stared longingly into its depths. Finally, she raised a hand and gently tugged at her long hair, effectively tearing a few loose strands off. Before she could think otherwise and change her mind, she let the hair go and allowed the wind to carry it deeper into the cave. 'It's not much… but it should let my scent linger for a day or two longer,' she thought as she turned around and started walking, just as Inuyasha called out to her.
"Oi, wench, you coming or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, hold your horses. I was just taking care of a small thing that I needed done," she replied calmly as she walked past both spiritualists and led the way. Inuyasha frowned at her words and hung back behind her and beside Miroku, lost in thought.
"She must really like whoever it is she used to meet there to leave a scent trail," Shippō suddenly spoke, having moved onto Miroku's shoulder when Kagome walked past him, most likely sensing the hanyō needed some time alone… or as alone as she could given the circumstances. His words caught the attention of both men walking with him (or carrying him, in Miroku's case), though the monk looked rather pensive, while Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and stared at the kit questioningly.
"A scent trail?" he questioned, as he hadn't seen what had held Kagome up at the cave's entrance. Shippō nodded.
"Yeah. Nothing much, just a few strands of her hair. The trail will be completely cold in a few days, but later than it would have if she hadn't done it," the fox said. "She really must like that friend of hers if she wants him to know that badly that she was there."
"In truth, it really doesn't surprise me, young Shippō," Miroku answered calmly as he watched Kagome's back a few feet in front of him. She wasn't nearly far enough not to hear what they were saying, but she wasn't giving off any signs of hearing them. She was either ignoring their conversation, or just so lost in thought that the sounds didn't register in her brain. Whichever the case, it seemed it was a safe topic to discuss. "Is it not to be expected that Kagome-sama would wish for her friend to know she was alive and well, especially after her long sleep? If she and her friend had been meeting regularly, it is more than certain he had noticed her sudden 'departure'. Whether or not he found out why she never came back is unknown, for sure, but Kagome-sama could not have helped not being able to come. It is only normal that now that she has the chance, she would leave some kind of message for him to know she had been there, that she is alive and that she wishes to see him again, is it not?" Miroku asked rhetorically, his voice far wiser than Inuyasha would have expected to hear from the lecher. Still, while a pervert, Miroku was a houshi, so it would be expected he was not stupid.
"If she wants to meet him, why not just go to where he is? If she tried, I'm sure she'd be able to track his scent or something," Inuyasha replied, his violet eyes focusing on the half-demon as well before turning to Miroku again as the monk answered.
"I believe Kagome-sama does not wish to intrude where she might not be wanted. It has been fifty years, after all and many things could have changed since then. Kagome-sama certainly knows that."
Inuyasha blinked as he stared at the monk for a few minutes, trying to understand what he was trying to say. There was only one thing he understood though, and that was that, at least to him, Miroku failed to make any sense. 'So she wants to meet him but doesn't want to bother him? If he was bothered by her presence, he wouldn't have met her in the past, would he?' the young kannushi thought as he narrowed his eyes, only vaguely listening to the exchange that continued between Shippō and the houshi.
"What do you mean, Miroku? Why would she think she'd bother him if they were friends?" the kit asked, but Miroku didn't answer at first. It almost seemed as if he were debating if the current subject of conversation was actually appropriate for such young ears to hear but in the end, he decided it couldn't hurt to say a little more… especially since if he didn't say anything, Shippō was likely to go ask Kagome. And that, the monk thought, should be avoided.
"It's been fifty years, has it not? I would think it likely that Kagome-sama considered the possibility that he has found another," he said calmly, unknowingly shattering the calm, pensive state Inuyasha was in. A sudden wave on uneasiness and unexplainable anger hit him and he turned to pin Miroku with a glare.
"And just what do you mean by that?" he asked in a low tone, not that the houshi seemed bothered by it, or the look he was getting, for that matter. Quite frankly, he seemed to not even notice them as he looked at Inuyasha with a surprised expression on his face. Blinking a few times for good measure, Miroku remained silent for a few seconds longer before finally speaking up.
"You mean you haven't noticed? I thought it was rather obvious from the way Kagome-sama talked about that friend of hers and the way her eyes seemed so far away when she did," he said, genuinely surprised, as if Inuyasha had missed something that he should have, by all means, noticed more than easily enough. His lack of outright response didn't calm Inuyasha any and his glared hardened.
"Noticed what?" he grunt out, making Miroku sigh.
"That friend Kagome-sama spoke about… it is fairly obvious it is a man she loves," the monk replied calmly, his eyes moving away from Inuyasha to stare right ahead instead, and thus, he failed to notice the priest's reaction to his words. Inuyasha's eyes widened considerably at hearing the monk's assumption, then he looked at his feet with a frown that looked like a mixture of anger and defeat, while his fists clenched at his sides. He didn't know why, but the thought of Kagome being in love with someone else made him angry. More than just angry. It made him more pissed than he ever remembered being in his life.
But why? Why would it affect him so? Why did he care? And why did Miroku's words make him feel like he had just been solidly punched in the gut?
"Are you done discussing a past that doesn't concern you?" an annoyed voice cut in and Inuyasha looked up to see Kagome had slowed down enough to rejoin them, though he hadn't noticed when she'd done so.
"Keh," he answered as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from her. "What's it to you what we talk about?" he asked her sourly, causing Kagome to frown.
"It's something to me when it involves me," she replied evenly. "And in this case, it did."
"So, is it true?" the black haired priest asked quietly before he could stop himself. He didn't dare look up at Kagome, for some reason fearing her answer, but felt compelled to glance at her through his bangs when she didn't answer for a while. He was met with a cool stare that almost made him stop in his tracks, if not even take a few steps backwards. Almost.
"That's hardly any of your business," the young half-demon replied before looking away from him, bur her words were answer enough. Lowering his eyes again, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel strangely sad and disappointed for some reason. 'It is,' he realized and clenched his fists again, a faint stinging sensation traveling up his wounded arm from the movement. 'But why does that make me want to punch something?' he thought with a frown, but try as he might, he couldn't find an answer to that question. It really shouldn't bother him – the two of them were only friends, after all, and even that was a strained notion with their requited trust-issues. If she was in love with some guy, he really shouldn't have thought anything of it. So, why did he?
[/T]
Sudden movement to his left brought Inuyasha out of his musings and he quickly turned his head to see Miroku raise his shakujō and strike with it somewhere behind them with speed that seemed almost too fast for a human. At the same time, Kagome drew Tessaiga and swung in a wide arc in the same direction, both weapons barely missing each other as they cut through the air just behind Inuyasha's current position. The back haired priest stared with wide eyes, but didn't get the chance to ask what the two of them were doing when he heard a soft thud in front of him. It was too soft for it to have been someone falling down, though. It sounded rather like a bit of an uncontrolled landing after an unexpected jump. Turning around, Inuyasha spotted a young boy who looked about the same age as him standing up from a crouch.
"You're rather fast, I'll give you that. But you need more than speed to ever hope to sneak up on me, and what you need, you severely lack," Kagome said, her tone hard as she glared at the boy and shouldered Tessaiga without sheathing it. "And you're a coward to top it off. What, scared of getting hurt if you didn't attack from behind?" she added, raising a brow.
"Shut up, stupid half-breed. Who asked you?" the weird teen asked, a low growl coming out of his throat. He had short, brownish-black hair styled in tamed bangs up front, while they stuck in all possible directions at the back of his head. His eyes were a deep brown and his skin was tanned, his body revealing the results of regular work-outs – he was definitely well built, although his muscles weren't nearly as defined as Inuyasha knew his own to be. His chest was protected with a simple, black armor-plate, but it didn't look like he was wearing any kind of shirt or other clothing underneath. A pelt a few shades lighter than his hair rested above the armor, covering his collarbones and shoulders, along with his shoulder blades, much like a long scarf, and the same kind of pelt also acted as his pants, covering his waist and reaching down to his knees. He had claws instead of nails, though they weren't as easy to notice as Kagome's, looking rather like Shesshōmaru's. They were definitely shorter and harder to notice, but it did not mean they were any less sharp. His feet were bare.
"I'm only stating the obvious," the half-demon replied with a frown. If that yōkai was looking for a fight, which she didn't doubt, he was well on his way to getting one. She cracked her knuckles in preparation and warning. "Now, unless you want to give one of us a nice, new wolf pelt, I suggest you leave," she said with a dangerous glow in her eyes. But the ōkami ignored the warning and snarled mockingly at her, revealing his sharp, canine fangs.
"I think we'll rather find a half-dog-carcass somewhere around here in a few moments," he replied with a smirk, but it was soon to disappear in favor of an intimidating glare. "If you want me to spare you and you pathetic ningen friends, give me the Shikon, and I may consider leaving you alive."
Kagome raised a brow at the demon's threatening, not that she was that surprised as to why exactly he came. The Jewel was pretty much the only reason he could be there. Sighing, the young hanyō-girl removed Tessaiga from her shoulder and stepped a few steps forward before taking a fighting stance. Then, as if remembering something, she turned to look at Miroku over her shoulder, ignoring the demon in front of her completely.
"Knowing Inuyasha, he'll try to interfere somehow. Could you make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, Miroku-sama? I won't be long," she said calmly, her intention now obvious to the wolf and her complete disregard of him enraging him. Miroku didn't have time to reply before the yōkai lunged.
"You won't be because I'll rip you apart before you even have the chance to blink!" he yelled as he practically flew at the half-demon. He didn't get nearly close enough, however, and was forced to switch directions instead to dodge the clean, horizontal swing Kagome directed at him. He landed about half his original distance away from the scowling Kagome.
"A weakling like you ripping me apart? Hardly. It'll rather be the other way around," she responded calmly, enraging the yōkai opposite her even more. He lunged at her again, only to once again be forced to dodge as Kagome swung at him a second time in an almost bored manner, the procedure repeating itself a couple of more times before the wolf finally stopped his assault. Kagome smirked. "Had enough already?"
"Yeah, enough of your cowardice," the yōkai replied angrily. "You say I'm a weakling, and yet you refuse to fight me without a weapon. Scared your claws won't be enough? Or isn't there enough demon-blood within your veins for you to know how to even use them, filthy, weak, half-breed?" he sneered. Kagome didn't answer as she lowered her head, which made the demon gloat even more, believing he had hit the jackpot. As for those watching, the reactions varied. Inuyasha stared with a mixture of barely controlled rage and disbelief, not only at the wolf's words but also at Kagome's apparent lack of reaction. Miroku was observing calmly through narrowed eyes, his grip on his staff tightening a little bit. Shippō was shaking his head from left to right, muttering 'the idiot is so dead' under his breath.
Ever so slowly, Kagome allowed Tessaiga to return to its rusted form and sheathed it, all without looking up. Smirking in what could only be read as triumph, the wolf used her moment of distraction to lunge, claws at the ready. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he reflexively reached for his blade, but as he tried to step towards the two fighters, Miroku stepped before him, effectively blocking his way.
"Out of my way, Miroku," the young priest almost yelled as he gripped his sword tighter with one hand, while he tried to shove Miroku aside with the other, but the monk stood his ground firmly.
"It would not be wise for you to enter that battle," the monk spoke calmly. "You are still recovering, are you not, Inuyasha? Would it not be better to sit this one out so that you finish healing sooner?" Unfortunately, Inuyasha was having none of his wisdom.
"I don't care. I'm not gonna let Kagome be skewered!" he yelled back, but before he could attempt to shove to Monk to the side again, a yelp made him freeze. He relaxed when he looked over Miroku's shoulder at what was happening, though, for the source of the sound was not Kagome's throat. The hanyō stood calmly, one arm still held casually in front of her after her swing. The wolf was crouched a few feet away from her, one claw on the ground while the other held his chest. When he removed it, it revealed four deep claw marks that ripped straight through his armor. Kagome's claws had obviously just barely missed his skin, and the yelp was most likely because he was startled by her sudden movement. He had obviously thought he had defeated her with his words. Big mistake there, for all they served was pissing her off. Her blood was boiling and she wasn't even attempting to stop the enraged growl that formed in her throat.
"Challenge accepted," she growled and without waiting for the wolf to recover, she lunged at him.
"Don't you trust Kagome at all?" Shippō asked Inuyasha while Kagome attacked the yōkai. "Even I know she wouldn't be killed that easily," he added, his tone a bit annoyed. Inuyasha glared at him, hiding the fact that his words had actually hit a rather sore spot, then tried to move the monk again. He still wasn't planning on just sitting back and doing nothing. If he wanted Kagome to trust him he needed to prove to her that she could do so. He couldn't do that if he let her fight all the battles, now could he.
"Inuyasha, you really shouldn't. Your arm has yet to heal. Do you really wish your wound to reopen again?" Miroku tried to reason with him again, though his voice wasn't as calm as before.
"Shut it, monk. Kagome can say whatever she wants, I ain't gonna sit back and watch while she fights," Inuyasha barked back, finally managing to remove the houshi from his path. Miroku grabbed his shirt, however, preventing him from getting into the fight like he wanted to, and sighed deeply.
"I really hate to have to resort to violence," the monk said, his voice betraying his irritation. Inuyasha raised a brow and turned his head to him, but before he could say anything, he felt a fist hitting him in the stomach. Winded, he sunk to his knees, one hand wrapping reflexively around his middle, while Miroku simply sat down next to him and continued, as if nothing were. "But you really need to sit this one out."
Had Inuyasha had the throat of a yōkai or hanyō, he would have growled. As it was, he could only glare at the monk while he regained his breath. Shippō took that as his chance to speak as he hopped down onto the ground in front of the priest with a rather serious look on his face.
"Besides, Inuyasha, if you trust Kagome even the tiniest bit, you won't interfere. It's no longer a fight you can just jump into," the fox said, making Inuyasha raise his eyebrows. As if sensing the question the black haired teen lacked the air to voice, Miroku spoke up, once again calm as if he hadn't lost his temper just a few short seconds ago.
"Shippō is right, you know. This is no longer just a fight to protect the Shikon or any of us. For Kagome-sama, it's now a fight to protect her pride and honor," he said, glancing at the priest meaningfully. "If we were to interfere, it would mean we think the same as that wolf: that she's weak and incapable of fighting. That we don't trust her to protect herself or anyone else. If you were in her position right now, I highly doubt you'd appreciate anyone interfering. Kagome-sama feels the same way, I'm sure."
Inuyasha stared at his companions before suddenly standing up, but his hand didn't travel to Seiryuu's hilt this time around. Instead, he merely focused his eyes on the fight in front of him. 'A fight for her pride and honor, huh?' well, as much as he hated it, he knew that really wasn't a fight he himself would want anyone interrupting, and Kagome most likely wasn't any different. Besides which, he wanted to show her that he trusted her, so there wasn't really much he could do. Miroku was right, after all – if this was a battle with honor at stake, his interference would only prove that the wolf was right and that he didn't trust the half-demon he was traveling with. Which was not the case, because he did trust her. 'Fine… I'll let you kick his ass, Kagome. But you better not get used to me just standing at the side-lines while you're fighting, you got that?'
[T]
The two canine demons were meanwhile trying to rip each other apart, with more or less success on both sides. Moving with speed only yōkai could possibly achieve, they both jumped at each other, slashed with their claws and jumped away with no apparent pattern, only rarely actually connecting. So far, Kagome managed to give her opponent a few shallow scratches here and there, while he barely managed to nick one of her sleeves.
Smirking, Kagome easily avoided him as the wolf lunged at her with claws raised to slash diagonally, then turned to get her with a spinning kick when she avoided it. But Kagome simply ducked and lunged forward in retaliation, her own claw raised to rip her enemy's heart out. The wolf was quick enough to avoid being killed, but not nearly enough to avoid all the damage – her claws tore into his chest, leaving the deepest marks yet, although it was nothing life-threatening for a yōkai. A growl rose from his chest as Kagome crouched and regarded him with a mocking grin on her face.
"I told you, a weakling like you could never touch me, weapon or no," she taunted, effectively enraging the wolf further. He lunged at her, his eyes filled with pure rage and hatred, his arms and legs mere blurs to the on-lookers as he slashed madly at the half-demon, who easily avoided each swing and kick, but didn't fight back. It wouldn't be any fun to end the battle too quickly, after all. No, she'd take her sweet time humiliating the ōkami. He certainly deserved it for everything he'd said.
"You shut up!" the wolf yelled. "I'm not a weakling and I'll prove it! First I'll defeat you, then I'll take the Jewel and return to my pack! And I'll pay the alpha back for kicking me out! I'll show him and the rest of the pack that a demon chasing a hanyō can't possibly be worth of the title of alpha!"
Kagome's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't lose her focus and continued to easily avoid the wolf's attacks. 'A demon chasing a hanyō?' the half-demon girl thought as she ducked under another swing, then finally counterattacked as she grew bored of the one-sided battle. Blood flew through the air as she managed to give the ōkami another shallow wound at the same time as his claws barely touched her cheek and broke the skin. But she didn't notice the injury. It would heal within minutes, anyway. 'From the sound of it, he doesn't mean chasing as in hunting… but rather looking desperately for… and he's a wolf-demon… He speaks of his alpha… could he have been part of his pack before being chased away?' she couldn't help but think as she jumped into the air, then reached out one hand to grab the wolf who jumped after her and easily throw him back to the ground over her shoulder. He landed on his back with an 'oof', but quickly rolled away from his spot and stood up when Kagome came crashing into the very spot he had been lying at a few short second prior. 'That would mean that… he's still looking for me… But no, he would never chase away anyone from his pack simply because he was weak. It's not his style. So either he's talking about someone else, or the reason he got chased away was a different one.'
"So you were kicked out of your pack, how sad," she mocked as she closed in on her enemy once again, this time preparing to impale the wolf on her hand instead of swinging her claws. He tried to jump back, but once again underestimated her speed. She didn't go quite through him, but she managed to imbed her claws all the way to her knuckles in his stomach before he got away, panting slightly. He was running out of stamina, it would seem. 'After all the claw-to-claw fights with Sesshōmaru, this isn't even a warm-up,' Kagome couldn't help but think.
"Heh, at least I had a pack, and I'm sure to have one again once I get the Shikon. The same can't be said for you, now can it, half-breed?" he sneered at her. He quickly found out he shouldn't have said that, however, as Kagome snarled viciously. Next thing the surprised wolf knew, he had to jump into the air to avoid golden energy blades as Kagome sent a Sankon Tessō his way. He wasn't safe even in the air, however, as Kagome easily followed him, golden eyes filled with rage , claws raised to tear into the wolf's flesh. He barely managed to defend her strikes and gained a few more gashes just about everywhere on his person as the enraged hanyō slashed at him repeatedly.
Standing on the side lines, Inuyasha gripped his sword tightly and just barely stopped himself from drawing the blade when the wolf had turned his back on him. He wouldn't take this fight away for Kagome. That didn't mean he wasn't any less angry, however. 'Be glad you aren't fighting me, or I'd fry you in the slowest possible way to make sure you suffered for those words, you disgusting bastard,' Inuyasha growled in his head, and impressive imitation of one of Kagome's threatening growls actually escaping his throat. He barely registered Kagome's next words as she attacked the wolf without stopping, lost in her own fury.
"First of all," she growled through gritted teeth, never stopping her assault. "You'll never get the Jewel, so don't even dream of that," she said as she kicked him to the ground, then landed herself and wasted no time to close in on him again. He was about to see just how fast she could be if she really wanted to. "Second of all," she continued, acting as if she were having a friendly chat with someone instead in being in the middle of a battle for honor. "Even if you somehow managed to get the Jewel, even with all the power the gem would give you, you'd be a hundred years too early to challenge your alpha. Believe me, I'd know, I fought him."
The wolf's eyes widened at her words and he quickly somersaulted backwards to get away from her, realization shining in his eyes. Kagome didn't follow him this time, deciding instead to see what he'd do. No matter what he decided, the battle was as good as over now. He could never keep up with her, so his defeat was obvious. Question was, would he fight to the end anyway, or would he flee? To be quite honest, the hanyō-girl wouldn't be surprised if he decided to forsake what little dignity he had left and turned tail, and should he do so, she wasn't planning on following him. The ōkami wasn't even worth the effort of giving chase to.
"It's you," the demon finally said, as if only now thinking of the possibility. "You're that fucking dog-hanyō he's so obsessed about!" he said, confirming Kagome's earlier thoughts. He was indeed from his pack, and that meant he hadn't forgotten her. Better even he was still looking for her. Kagome couldn't help but feel happy at knowing that, but Hell would freeze over before she showed it to anyone other than him.
"That's perfect! I'll just kill you then, and that'll prove to him, to everyone, what a pathetic alpha he is!" the wolf's words snapped her back to the here and now, just in time to see the yōkai lunge at her again. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome bent her knees and lunged as well to meet him. Her claws grazed his side as the wolf passed her. But what Kagome did not expect was that the wolf wasn't even aiming at her to begin with. She turned around once the ōkami passed her and her eyes widened when she saw him standing behind Inuyasha, one claw around the teen's middle, effectively keeping Inuyasha's hands at his sides, while his other was dangerously close to his throat. To his credit, the black haired kannushi didn't seem really scared, merely surprised and most definitely pissed off.
Miroku and Shippō were sitting next to the demon and his hostage, their position indicating that they had been shoved to the side before the wolf grabbed the future born teen. Kagome narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles as a growl rose in her throat, the warning clear to anyone. 'Leave the human alone unless you want me to disembowel you'.
"Don't dare even move, any of you," the wolf warned, a sly look on his face. "One step forward, one wrong move, and I'll slit his throat. As for you, young priest," he added, leaning towards Inuyasha's ear. The teen turned his head to glare at his captor, already trying to find that door he felt within himself the other day to purify the wolf out of existence. The yōkai smirked. "Don't even think of using your powers. Who knows what kind of unfortunate incident could befall you if my hand jerked due to your shocking me, right?" he whispered into Inuyasha's ear, his claws twitching slightly next to the teen's neck, dangerously close to breaking the skin. Inuyasha's glare hardened in an attempt to hide the sudden fear that momentarily overcame him as he realized the yōkai was right. He might purify him with his powers, but who was to say the action wouldn't case the wolf's claws to tear his throat open? 'Damn it, I hate this! What am I supposed to do now?!' he thought desperately, knowing the others wouldn't be able to do much.
"So you go as far as taking a hostage in the middle of a battle you yourself challenged me to. You really have no honor," Kagome said calmly as one of her claws gently rose to her arm before lightly piercing it, her own blood coating her claws. "Are you that scared that I'll kill you?" she asked as her eyes traveled to Inuyasha, who immediately realized what she was planning to do. With a start, the image of her tearing into his arm flashed before his eyes. His heartbeat quickened and his breath hitched slightly, but the wolf didn't seem to notice it, too focused on Kagome to keep tabs on his captive. Kagome did, however, and her eyes softened as she relaxed her claws, obviously forgoing her plan and instead trying to think of a new one, stalling with words. "If that's your wolf-demon-honor, I'm not surprised you were expelled from your pack. If there's one thing he hated, it's honor-less bastards like you," she said, making the ōkami snarl at her in rage, his brown eyes shooting daggers at the silver haired half-demon.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha had an internal battle going on. 'She… was planning to shoot her blades of blood even though I was in the way?' he thought, his eyes still wide, then shook his head mentally. 'No, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't take the risk…' he told himself, just as more images flashed before his mind eye. All the times they sparred and she got frustrated enough to send one of her youki-based attacks at him, or all the times when he left himself wide open, to the point an enemy could have gotten a killing blow in. Each time, her attacks, or supposed attacks, stopped just short of harming him or missed him by mere inches without doing any harm. She always aimed perfectly, letting those attacks glide right next to him, but not near enough to actually cause him harm. Why would this time be any different? Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at himself. 'If she attacked, the wolf would be surprised. He won't be expecting it. But he won't think the attack won't connect either. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it did, myself, so long as that mangy wolf is the one to get cut up,' the young kannushi thought with a frown. 'The problem is me being in the way of a clean shot. But I know Kagome won't aim for me. She won't harm me. I know that. I trust her!' he yelled at himself, for the first time not feeling like he was forcing himself to believe something that wasn't true, but actually realizing it was the truth. He trusted her. He knew her attack wouldn't harm him. So, while the ōkami was busy yelling at Kagome and growling, Inuyasha glanced over at the half-demon and nodded slightly. Kagome nodded back, understanding what he meant, and was quite glad for it, for she could hardly think of any other way to get him out of that predicament.
'Thank you for trusting me, Inuyasha,' she thought fondly, resisting the urge to smile. Instead, she glared at the demon and interrupted him mid speech, hardly caring what he was saying and not having listened to a single word anyway.
"I give you one last chance," she growled warningly, her bloodied claws flexing next to the small puncture wound in her shoulder she herself had inflicted. "Let him go." The wolf, however, only laughed.
"And if I don't, what will you do, hanyō?" he asked mockingly. Kagome responded with a wide swing of her blood-stained claw, knowing he would not heed her warning.
"Hijin Kessō!" she yelled as her blood formed small, red blades that flew towards Inuyasha and the wolf-yōkai with amazing speed. The smirk was easily wiped off the demon's face to be replaced by a look of pure shock. He had enough brains not to stay frozen where he was, though. Instead, he immediately released Inuyasha and pushed him forward to act as a shield while he himself jumped back. But Kagome had expected he might do something stupid like that, so she wasn't worried. The teen landed on his hands and knees barely a foot or two from where he was originally standing, Kagome's Flying Blade Blood Claws flying by him harmlessly and seemingly homing in on the now even more surprised wolf. He wasn't fast enough to dodge this time, and as he jumped high into the air, some of the blades cut deeply into his legs. Cursing, he barely raised his head in time to see the half-demon closing in on him from above with both claws raised.
"Sankon Tessō!" Kagome yelled as she swung diagonally with one claw and then the other, sending two sets of golden youki-blades at her opponent. He leaned backwards to avoid them, but they still tore deeply into his chest and he fell heavily to the ground, Kagome following closely. But the ōkami wasn't planning on fighting anymore. Standing up quickly, he avoided Kagome's attacks as she landed behind him, then turned his back on her and ran off, but not before the hanyō's claws tore into his back, leaving vertical slash marks, reaching from his shoulders all the way down to his rear end. Yowling, the wolf attempted to go even faster, failing miserably but still managing to get away as Kagome decided not to follow him. Instead, she leapt towards Inuyasha, who by then had picked himself off the ground.
[/T]
"You alright?" she asked as she landed beside him, her expression still a bit tight as she tried to reign in her anger. Inuyasha wasn't the one she was mad at, it wouldn't do to blow up at him.
"I'm fine," the future-born teen replied quietly as he dusted off his jeans. "Why did you let him go?" he asked, his tone a bit sour, though he wasn't quite sure why. Kagome merely shrugged.
"A scaredy cat like that isn't worth following. I won't taint my honor by chasing a wuss who has forsaken his," she replied as calmly as she could. She might decide not to hunt the guy, but she sure as hell was mad at his cowardly ways. 'I may let him live, but I won't forgive him. Next time I meet him, I'll rip his heart out and feed it to the crows,' she thought angrily, somehow knowing that it wasn't the last she'd be seeing of the ōkami. And she didn't even know how right she was, yet.
"You have a saint's heart, Kagome-sama. Hardly anyone would have showed such mercy in these circumstances," Miroku couldn't help but point out, but Kagome only snorted in response.
"It's not mercy, it's pride. He's too far below me to even bother killing, much less taking the time to hunt down."
"Well… I think we'll have to go hunt him, anyway…" Inuyasha said quietly as he rubbed the back of his head nervously as he glanced at Kagome. The half-demon shot him a questioning glance, but didn't say anything, so the human boy decided to continue. "He… took the Shikon no Tama," he said, looking at the ground as he revealed that the gem was no longer around his neck. The demon must have cut the chain with his claws when he threatened him, and Inuyasha hadn't noticed.
"He WHAT?!" Kagome yelled, her eyes widening as she stared at the black haired kannushi, hoping he was just joking, although both knew it was not something to joke about, so the chances of that were slim. She snarled and turned her back on her companions, staring instead in the direction the wolf had left in, easily realizing that it was the direction she would have left in if she went to meet his pack. "I can't believe it!" she growled under her breath as she smelled the air, trying to determine how far the demon had gone. Given the wounds he had, it couldn't be very far, but then again, since he had the Jewel, it was likely he was not only already healed, but also quite a bit stronger and faster, too. 'If he's already using it, then it's not going to be an easy battle,' Kagome noted sourly.
"I'm sorry."
The young half-demon whirled around in surprise at Inuyasha's soft spoken words. He wasn't looking at her, staring at the ground, instead. Kagome blinked, trying to figure out what he was apologizing for. Given the situation, there wasn't much he could have done, anyway, and she wasn't really mad at him, either. Her earlier words were directed at herself, as was her anger. The wolf had said he was after the Shikon, after all, and yet she had not thought he might have taken it. How could she have been so stupid?
"Forget it," she said softly as she laid a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up at her and she allowed herself a small, reassuring smile. "It's not like we won't get it back. Besides, better that than if he were to kill you," she said softly, making Inuyasha's eyes widen in surprise. Releasing his shoulder, she turned around before looking at him over her shoulder. "Well, let's go. The quicker we find the bastard, the better."
Miroku nodded grimly as he took off in a run. Shippō hopped onto Kagome's shoulder, as he was still too young to keep up with them even when he ran at full speed, and the hanyō gently grasped Inuyasha's wrist as she started running as well, pulling him alongside her until he fell into step next to her – then she released him. She easily passed Miroku and forced herself to slow down slightly to go at a speed the two humans could keep up with, letting her nose guide her towards the wolf that dared to steal the Jewel. She was unaware of Inuyasha's stare that was glued to her back as he ran behind her as fast as he could, just barely able to keep up with Miroku.
'Kagome,' he couldn't help but think as he followed her, her earlier words resonating in his head over and over. Without even realizing it, he smiled slightly. 'Arigato.'
Not to seem rude, but… HA! In your face! You all thought the wolf was Kōga, didn't you? You wouldn't believe how hard I laughed at each comment pointing at that LOL Guess I surprised you there, didn't I? *laughs, satisfied with herself* But now, we have another problem on our hands… namely taking the Jewel back :D
So, Next Issue: Kagome, Miroku and Inuyasha fight the ōkami again, this time in an attempt to recover the Jewel…
stay tuned until then and remember, reviews are welcome :]
Next Chapter: The Shikon's Power
See you then.