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Chapter 36: Idle Gossip

Being pregnant, her hormones ran amuck all of the time. Tamako felt like she had entirely too many mood swings, and while she was good at controlling them for the most part, it still sucked. She also felt so huge. She'd always been a petite girl, and in her pregnancy she was all baby. It was obvious looking at her that she was carrying a pup and not just getting fat. But in her head, sometimes she couldn't help but criticize herself even though she'd never been one to do so previously. Just something about being pregnant made her overly critical of herself. And she felt crazy half of the time.

She definitely could not wait to get back to her training once she was healed from having her pups. She hadn't been able to use her sword in months, and it was tucked neatly away in her and Kouga's chambers.

And she was sick and tired of hanging around the den all of the time. Kouga insisted that she remain within the vicinity, and if she left it would be either with him or Inuyasha. It was just concern for her and their unborn pup, she knew it. But it was frustrating, especially watching him be able to go out with the hunting group.

But doing nothing was driving her stir-crazy. So she decided to go and see if the women needed help with anything so she didn't feel so useless. So, she walked to the back of the den where the women usually did their sewing work. She could sew, Sango had taught her when she was a child. It was supposed to be an important skill for a woman to have to find a proper husband. Though...her husband wasn't a human one, hers left her without a want and without a need to do such things on her own unless she wanted to.

Walking to the den, she was about to enter the room, but she over heard the other women talking. So, she stopped just before the doorframe, her back pressed against the wall. So she was eavesdropping, so what? They didn't seem to talk as freely around her, especially if it was very juicy stuff they didn't want getting back to Kouga. Sure, she gossiped with the other women, but it wasn't always the juicy stuff.

"Can you believe it? And I thought wolves mated for life."

"Nah, its not mating you know, its rutting. Totally different."

"Well...yeah, but our men are supposed to be able to control themselves!"

Tamako listened intently. So, someones mate was cheating. In her mind she went over who it could have been. It was unheard of for wolf males to seek any kind of sex outside of their home with their mate. Sure males could rut before they claimed a woman as a mate, but usually not afterwards.

"I don't believe it. You must have heard something wrong..."

"Noo, no I saw him meet with her out on a hunt before. Gosh, sis is going to flip if she ever finds out. I don't get how she couldn't know...he must reek of the woman when he comes home." Tamako could almost hear the woman shudder a little.

"Well, I just know, if my man ever came home smelling of another woman like that...I'd kill him."

"You would not!"

"Nah, I'd kill the woman." the woman answered.

Who is it!? Tamako's mind screamed. She wanted to know who it was. No doubt she didn't hear of this before because if Kouga found out someone was breaking off from the hunt to go rut with someone, then he would be more than furious.

"I feel sorry for his mate though. She's such a sweet girl. I like her."

"Well of course. Our leader picked a very good mate to keep him in line. I just would have thought Kouga would have more restraint than that...galavanting around like a common horny youkai..."

This sentence made Tamako's whole world shatter. Her eyes widened and her heart sank. Kouga? Not my Kouga... she thought. But, what other Kouga was there in the den? Gulping slowly, she felt frozen to the wall as she stared forward, shaking her head.

She couldn't just stand there. Standing up straight and moving into the room, growling and glaring at the girls. "WHAT is it you're speaking of? Who is Kouga fucking around with? You will do well to tell me the truth.." she said.

The women jumped a little at Tamako's sudden appearance in the doorway. There were three of them sitting there, doing idle stitching on different garments. One looked at her, shaking her head. "S-Sis! Uh...uh nothing, no, its just chatter..."

"I am not stupid. Do not take me as stupid. All of our idle chatter and gossip is rooted in truth. Who is Kouga fucking around with?!" she almost yelled, a vein pulsing in her neck and her eyes flashing a little red in her rage for an instant before flashing back to normal. At that moment, the pregnant hanyou looked downright scary.

"A-A-Ayame...d-down by the river..." one of the girls answered.

"Of course..." Tamako growled. Turning and storming off down the hallway towards the mouth of the cave. She was intent on catching what was going on, this instant.

It was her father who saw her storming out of the den. He'd been perched up in a tree like usual, watching everything that was going on. But the pure anger he could feel from his daughter startled him.

Inuyasha jumped from the tree and moved in front of his daughter, taking her shoulders. "Hey! Hey whats the matter?"

"I'm going to kill both of them. Let me go dad. Now. I'll kill them..." she said, red flashing through her eyes.

And, Inuyasha recognized the red in her eyes as something to fear. In any half demon their full youkai form should be feared. "Woahhh calm it down a notch. I'm not letting you go anywhere. Who is it you wanna kill? I'll go kill 'em for you. You're way too pupped to go storming off half cocked right now."

Her eyes looked up at him, gritting her teeth tightly. "Kouga. Ayame." was all she said.

But, it confused him. "Wait, what? Ayame? Didn't you fight her years ago? Yeah I remember that, you came home with a fucking hole in your shoulder. No, you're not going after Ayame. But..why would you anyway?"

"Kouga's fucking her, thats why. And I'll have both of their heads I swear to Kami, dad."

Anger flushed through him in that instant. "Kouga's...what?" he asked. He almost couldn't believe the wolf would cheat on his daughter, his very pregnant daughter.

"He's fucking her. Do I have to really say it again? Rutting her in the woods."

"And how do you know this?" he asked, almost trying to calm himself down and reason with her at the same time. If Kouga indeed was cheating on his daughter, the wolf would be truly sorry. He would see to it.

"The other women were talking about it. Idle gossip is always rooted in truth around here dad. Its happening. And I'm going to put an end to it." she informed him.

Gripping her shoulders a little, he shook his head. "No. Come here, I'm going to walk you to your room and you'll calm down. I will not have you so angry while you're carrying my grandchild. With your rage like this, you'll lose control of your youkai, and that would be very bad for the pup." he reasoned.

She saw his reasoning, but she didn't like it. A growl lingered in her throat as she glared towards the river in which she'd been walking. She was definitely her fathers daughter. She was headstrong and ready to run into a fight without thinking first, and for this she was definitely ready to rush in there and fight for what was hers.

But, she couldn't. Her dad was right, she knew that somewhere in her mind.

"...Fine." she muttered through gritted teeth.

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It had taken a while, but Inuyasha convinced his daughter to go back to her room. He'd tried to calm her down, to no avail. Though he did go get her some herbal tea that he remembered Kagome used to make, give him and tell him to calm down a little. Maybe it'd work with Tamako.

Truthfully, he wanted to go after the wolf himself. He was pissed at the idea that someone would hurt his daughter like that. And, he wanted to rip the wolfs head clean off his shoulders. But...if he left, Tamako might leave too. So, he had to keep his daughter semi calm and sitting down in her room.

She sat in a chair in her and Kouga's room, holding a cup of tea in her lap, her eyes looking down at the liquid. She was still pissed, but she was upset now too. She almost wanted to burst into tears, and she felt like she would at any moment. Her fingers gripped the cup just lightly, not hard enough to break it though.

Just the thought of Kouga being with another woman right now was enough to make her blood boil. Sure, wolves mated for life, and her and Kouga were soul bonded...but that didn't mean that either one of them couldn't go rut with someone else. It was different for Kouga than it was for her, though. Kouga was a full fledged demon, her demon only lurked beneath her skin, mingling with her human half. And, they were two very different demons. When she'd been in Tokyo, she could have easily slept with Kohaku...but she'd been afraid her demon wouldn't accept him and be ultimately pissed off that another man dared to try and defile her. Even though that possibly wouldn't have happened.

Kouga, on the other hand, was a full fledged demon, he didn't have to worry about the monster that lurked beneath the surface. She did. A monster that she was trying very hard to keep under control right now.

They both could hear him before they saw him. She could hear Kouga's footsteps towards their chambers. A growl raised from her throat as she glared up to the door, ears twitching just a little bit and pinning back to her head.

Inuyasha also heard the footsteps, and saw his daughters distress. "Wait. Here." he instructed. Sitting his cup of tea down and standing up. Walking to the door and out of it, securely closing the door behind him.

When Kouga came into view, Inuyasha growled, bearing his fangs at the wolf. Without warning, he quickly ran up to him, closing the distance between the two. Grabbing his tetsusaiga, unsheating it and bringing it up as he grabbed Kouga's neck. Slamming Kouga's back against the wall, one hand on his neck, tetsusaiga's blade resting just on one side of his neck, glaring at the wolf.

The action stunned Kouga, he wasn't expecting it. Blinking at his father-in-law in confusion. "What the hell mutt?! Get your mitts off of me." he said. Starting to shift, but Inuyasha only pressed the blade closer to the wolfs neck.

"Move and you die. Wolf." Inuyasha warned. Leaning forward, he took a breath, smelling the wolf demon in front of him. He did not make it a habit of smelling the wolf, but he had to smell if another womans scent was on his skin.

And, it was. He could smell the faint smell of wild flowers that was Ayame's scent. "So, its true. I should kill you right this instant." Inuyasha threatened, glaring up at the other mans face.

"What the hell are you talking about? Whats true? Kill me? Yeah right. You forget I am your daughters mate."

"No, no I don't. Thats EXACTLY why you should die. I've told you before, if you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."

The hanyou's statement confused Kouga a little. Hurt Tamako? How could he do that?

"What in the hell are you talking about? Stop talking in circles and tell me whats going on. What'd I do to Tamako? I didn't do anything last time I checked..." he said. Though, now a days, Tamako got upset over small things as her hormones went wild in her body. He never took her seriously when she would yell at him for something so mundane. He knew his mate was under the pressure and stress of carrying his pup.

"Don't act stupid. I smell that bitch on you. Ayame, was her name?"

Kouga's eyes went wide in realization for a moment. How did they know? Shaking his head. "How did you know about Ayame?"

"Women talk. And you're looking pretty guilty from my point of view."

"Yeah, so I went to see Ayame. What of it? Tamako would have a fit if I told her in the state she's in!" he said. Though he seemingly didn't see what he was doing so wrong to warrant Inuyasha trying to cut his head off.

"You act as stupid as you are. Of course Tamako would have a fit! No matter what state she's in. I had to stop her from going and ripping the womans head off." Inuyasha explained. Shifting the blade a little, pressing it against Kouga's neck a bit more, drawing a thin line of blood.

"No, if she wasn't so hormonal she would be fine with it!"

Inuyasha growled deeply, squeezing the wolfs neck a little in his hand. "No. She wouldn't have. She wouldn't ever approve with you sneaking off to rut another woman. I don't approve of it either. I swore that I would do anything to protect my pup. And that even means protecting her from you."

When it was finally stated what he was being accused of, Kouga couldn't help but laugh, leaning back against the wall a little.

"Whats so fucking funny? I don't find it funny. I find it enraging you piece of shit."

Kouga shook his head carefully because of Tetsusaiga that was still pressed against his neck. "No, whats funny is that people think I'm rutting Ayame in the woods. What in the hell would give you that idea?"

The hanyou's grip on the wolfs neck didn't lessen, and he didn't move his sword. "The fact that you're sneaking off into the woods with a female that you once promised to marry."

"Look. I don't think about Ayame like that. She came down from the mountains to handle some business. She'd come to the den a few weeks ago, and I know Tamako would have flipped out at seeing her, so I told her to meet me down by the river if she needed to talk."

"I don't believe you." Inuyasha stated.

"Whether or not you believe me, its true. Do you really think I could hide the fact that I rut with another woman? Your daughters sense of smell is heightened now that she's pupped. And I wouldn't do that. Wolves do not do that."

"No...wolves can do that." a womans voice came. It was Tamako, standing at the doorway to her and Kouga's room, glaring at her mate.

Inuyasha glanced at his daughter a little. "Tamako! Go back inside and sit down. Didn't I tell you to stay put?"

"You did. But he's my mate, and this is my problem." she said, looking up at Kouga. "So its true...all of it."

"Not the part about me rutting! Come on Tamako, you know me, I wouldn't do that, I can't do that..." Kouga professed, his cerulean eyes looking towards his mate. "I love you too much. You and our pup. I would not betray you like that..."

"No, wolves can rut outside of their mating bond. You just can't mate with another. Its a difference." Tamako said, looking down a little.

Inuyasha stood still, holding the wolf in place. "You want me to kill him?" he asked his daughter.

But, she shook her head. "No. Like it or not, we're bonded. That would hurt worse." she said. One hand moved up to rest on the side of her neck where Kouga's mark was. "Let him go." she said in a sigh, turning and starting to walk back into the bedroom.

A growl came from Inuyasha's lips. He didn't just want to let the wolf go, but she told him to. Drawing his sword back and sheathing it, taking his hand off of Kouga's neck, glaring at him. "I don't trust you one bit, wolf."

Kouga let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Inuyasha let him go. Looking at the hanyou, he shook his head. "Well you should. Because I would never do such a thing." he said.

Glancing to the door, Kouga walked after his mate. Moving to close the door behind him, shooting a look to Inuyasha that told him he needed to be alone with her.

Once the door was shut, he looked up at his mate who had sat herself back in her seat. Moving to her, he knelt in front of her and took her hand slowly, looking up at his face. "I swear to you...I didn't do it. I would never."

She looked down at him, pain filling her golden brown orbs, tears rimming them that she was fighting to keep in. "Then why would people say it? Why would you sneak off with another woman if it were not to rut her in the woods?"

"Because I didn't want to upset you. Ayame is a leader in her own pack in the mountains. She came to me for help. She's never run a pack by herself before. When she showed up here at the den, I did not want added stress put on you, so I thought to keep it from you."

"Lotta good that did." she said, looking away.

A sigh came from his lips as he reached up, resting one hand on her cheek and bringing her to look at him. "I'm sorry. But I swear to you...I'll swear on anything you want. I did not, and will not, rut that woman. Not once, not ever. You're my mate. You're carrying my pups. You're the only one I want. Now and forever. I waited a long time to be with you...and now that I have you, I wouldn't do such a thing to hurt you." he told her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

"Please Tamako...believe me. I can't loose you and our pup. You're my family, everything that I want." he continued.

Tears started to escape her eyes, slipping down her cheeks, which Kouga wiped away with his thumb. Sniffling a little, she shook her head, looking down. "You'll swear on anything I want? What about...what about do something for me? Would you do something for me if I were to trust you?"

Nodding instantly at her question, he did not hesitate. "Anything you want is yours."

"Stop seeing her. Send her away. I don't want that woman anywhere near my family or my life. If you insist on letting her near this den...I will leave. I trust her less than you. She loves you, Kouga. I saw that the day I fought her. She was willing to fight for you. Do you really think she'll just settle for advice?"

Listening to her, he sighed a little and nodded. "Done. I meet with her again tomorrow. I'll go and tell her I cannot help her anymore."

She nodded slowly, taking in a breath and closing her eyes a little.

"Then...then you'll stay?" he asked, sitting up more on his knees.

She nodded to him, looking at his face. "Yes. But I'm still mad at you. Everyone thinks you're off cheating on me. How else would I find out?"

Leaning up, he kissed her cheek, right where a tear had started to fall. "I'll handle the wolves, don't you worry about that. This idle gossip has to stop."

"You cannot stop women from gossiping..."

"I can certainly try." he said, looking at her face. "Especially when they try and upset my mate."

"It was not on purpose. They saw what they saw, and developed conclusions. I'm still not sure of the truth myself..."

"I told you the truth. Nothing like what was said happened between Ayame and me. Nor will it ever. You have my word."

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