The morning air held a hint of softness as Kagome walked East.
Her steps were lively as she unconsciously tread the now familiar path towards where Sango stayed.
Sounds of the twins fell upon her ears-the family already wide awake with the sun. Sango's light voice rose above the rest.
"Kagome!"
Waving widely Sango began to walk towards her friend.
A smile broke on Kagome's face.
Relief ticking at the back of her mind. She hadn't been sure she would be able to genuinely smile again.
The two hugged in greeting- arms wrapping tightly.
"I went looking for you yesterday- but Kaede said you went with Inuyasha?" her eyes flashed her curiosity towards her friend.
Might have spoke too soon… she thought to herself, stiffening slightly.
"Uh.. well. Uh, not really. He left." she stated quickly.
"But guess who I ran into!"
The two women pulled apart. The question in Sango's eyes intensified.
"Wait- he left?"
She ignored the question.
"I ran into Kouga! Of all people. We are going to train a bit today. I'm headed there now."
Sango tilted her head as she tried to process the words her friend was throwing at her.
"Wait- Kouga? Kagome- what do you mean?" she touched her forehead as her thoughts were getting jumbled.
Kagome smiled. "You know- I have been meaning to ask about him. But I never cared to ask with In-" her voice caught in her throat, as if a hand had constricted around her heart.
Ack- the sound stemming in place of his name. She attempted a cough to cover the sudden sound.
She pretended to laugh.
"I never got time to ask about him." she finished.
The demon slayer paused to look at her friend. Taking a deep breath she gathered her thoughts.
What is going on with her. Why isn't she answering my question? This is so unlike her to keep things from me…
Pursing her lips she took a breath through her nose.
Fine… I'll find out eventually… knowing her friend would eventually open up.
"Well- he actually stopped by a few times. He even brought a gift for the girls one time. I think he was checking if you were around. Only once did he show up when Inuyasha was here." Sango noted the downcast of eyes as she mentioned their friend.
"Ah I bet that was an interesting day." Kagome responded.
Sango's long fingers grazed the side of her face- leaning her face on her palm as she thought back.
"Actually- Inuyasha was pretty decent with him. I remember they had a long conversation. I think it was boy talk, since Inuyasha asked him if he was still pursuing Ayame."
Flash Back
Sango threw her Hiraikotsu as she listened to the wolf demon talk.
"Ah well- I intended to keep my promise to Ayame." his charged voice responded to the Hanyou's question.
Inuyasha stood- arms crossed and eyes closed as he listened.
"At some point a wolf's gotta do what he's gotta do. I made a promise and, it's not like I was looking for that kind of thing but-the elders were pretty expectant."
"Keh- so you were just going to take her for mate because some mangy old people wanted you to?" his crude response was met with a growl of warning.
"Watch it MUTT. You may not understand our ways- but don't disrespect my culture." Kouga snapped.
"heh…" Inuyasha shifted his pose.
"So what- are you happily mated?" he sneered.
Kouga turned with a smile- "NOPE! Still single and waiting for Kagome to get tired of you." he chuckled.
Inuyasha blanched at the outright proposal.
"Why you mangy wolf! What makes you think she would choose you if I wasn't around. I bet Kagome would run at just your smell." he teased.
"You're one to talk about smell-" the den leader quipped.
Inuyasha threw a punch- only to have it dogged.
The half- demon followed Kouga's decent a snarl filling his face. He was about to speak when an odd look fell on his face.
Kouga paused- sensing the change before he saw his companions face change.
"Hm… so what did happen with Ayame. I thought you were meant to be like me and Kagome." he calmly asked.
Well- believe it or not, she fell for my first command.
Inuyasha showed surprise at the unexpected answer.
"I'm not sure when or how it happened. But one day we were on a scouting mission together- the three of us, and he challenged me for her. I could see it was what they both wanted. I'm surprised he had the balls to challenge me."
Kouga barked out a laugh.
"We got down to the neck and I forfeited. I could tell she wanted him, and it says something that he would challenge the strongest wolf demon in our pack for her." he puffed his chest.
"Besides- they needed my blessing regardless- since I lead the pack. I have to approve of the matings. To be sure we only birth the strongest pups"
Sango rolled her eyes as she listened.
"Have you ever denied anyone's request?" she interrupted.
The wolf demons ears tinged red.
"Never needed to- all of my pack are strong." he bluffed.
Mhmmm… you softy.. she thought to herself.
The demon slayer was keen at reading her friends.
"Well at least they are full demon. So that makes for an easy pairing." Inuyasha's unusual comment caught the wolf by surprise.
Sango raised her brow as she listened- pretending to work on her throws.
"I said strength is what matters. Full demon- half- or Human, as long as they are strong. Wolves give the blessing if it's love." Kouga nodded solemnly as he spoke. A certain miko filling his thoughts.
"I just meant that they have things in common." Inuyasha defended.
Sango listened as her friend continued to speak the odd remarks.
"Well- you know better than them- that just because their mate has a different background doesn't mean they don't have anything in common. Look at Kagome." Kouga preached.
Sango could hear the leader in him springing forth- an attempt to teach Inuyasha a lesson.
Inuyasha turned west overlooking the horizon. Sniffing the air-
Sango knew he would leave soon. Noting the new habit he had before taking off.
"Well- thanks for the chat wolf. I got places to be." his gold eyes searching out Sango to say farewell.
"What do you mean? Aren't you waiting here for Kagome?" Kouga asked.
"I just want to get away from your stench." was the response.
Sango waved as Inuyasha took off. Kouga watching after him for a while before saying his farewell to the powerful demon slayer and heading east.
End Flash Back
"What about Ayame?" Kagome asked.
"Well- apparently she chose a different guy. One of his betas." Sango mused.
Shock filled her face as Kagome thought of the two demons.
"I wonder who it was…." she trailed off thinking of Ginta and Hakkaku.
"So wait- he just gave her up- like that?!" her voice laced with questions.
I DEFINITELY gotta ask him about this… she thought to herself.
"If I were here I would have bet that he would go down fighting rather than give up something that was his." she noted- thinking back to all the proclamations he made to her- no matter how futile.
Sango stretched.
"Well- I hate to cut our time short, but I need to get ready to train with Kohaku." Sango glanced over her shoulder.
"Maybe we will see each other while we train today." she smiled at her friend.
"Be careful." she smiled.
Kagome returned a smile of her own.
"Definitely. I'll see you later okay?" moving towards the stream down the path. Sango retreating to her home.
Continuing her walk- her mind shifted to Kouga and Ayame, curious about what had transpired for a Wolf Leader such as him- to be deemed….uninteresting...by a girl who appeared to dedicate her life to him.
HA! Sounds familiar huh…. A cross voice sifted through her thoughts.
Grimacing at herself she walked faster.
As she crossed the foot bridge, she could sense his aura. Looking up- she could see Kouga jogging her direction. Though his actions were so smooth it looked like he was gliding more than jogging….running? Sprinting?
She shook her head. Whatever it was, she could never keep up.
He called out in greeting as he approached- taking her hands in his.
"Mornin' Kagome." his warm voice surrounded her.
"Good Morning Kouga." she smiled. Noting again the familiar gesture of his hands.
"So! What's the plan for today?" she asked.
He smiled in a trickster way.
Chuckling aloud- "It's a Surprise."
Kouga turns and nods to the tree line.
"This way." is all he says before walking away.
She watches him walk in front of her, his tail swishing behind him. He stops and turns to her, his jaw line outlined in the morning sun.
He smiles and motions for her to follow. She realized she hadn't moved and a smile fell on her face as she let out a light laugh, feet finally moving to join him.
He waited for her to close the gap between them before nudging her shoulder.
"Keep up." he teased winking at her.
They headed east, Kouga keeping them at a manageable pace.
As they walked- not much was spoken. Kouga seemed to be in light spirits- looking over at her periodically- a gleam is his eyes.
After about the fifth time she finally asked. "Why do you keep looking at me."
Her voice filling the space between their steps.
The tips of his ears turned red and he rubbed the back of his head.
"Ah- ha, can't help it. I haven't been able to see you. I just like seeing you. Calms my inner beast." he ended with a sly grin.
She squinted her eyes and playfully pursed her lips at him.
He stuck his tongue out in response.
Kouga's chest warmed at the sound of her laughter- as he looked over the petite human who walked next to him.
A shadow darted above. His ears tuning into the purpose of their walk.
Kagome noticed the shift in his attention and her eyes lifted to the trees.
Noting the perched Tengu.
"We are close…" she heard Kouga speak.
Sounds of the river grew closer as she realized they were upriver from the springs just before the waterfall.
It didn't feel like we walked uphill that much… she thought to herself.
But here it was.
Kouga turned to her and held up a hand- telling her to wait.
He jogged to the rocks near the tree line and pulled out a quiver of arrows.
"Ready to practice?" he asked.
Kagome looked around confused.
"Here?"
He nodded in response. A Tengu flew over head- startling her as Kouga lept up- and cut the creature into pieces with his claws.
He landed quietly- barely making a sound as she gaped at him open mouthed.
He turned towards her and saw her shock.
Raising his hands in a submissive gesture he began to explain.
"These minor demons are creating a major problem. Take a look around." he nodded to the trees just behind them.
As she looked- she could see rows of eyes staring at the pair between the trees and the river.
Were there so many before? The thoughts filling her head.
A single human would be outnumbered!
Turning back to Kouga- he continued. "My pack only kills out of necessity now. But last winter- I realized we had a problem. We struggled finding meat toward the end of our hunting season- and come spring- I found these guys are to blame."
"They have been multiplying ever since the Birds of Paradise were eliminated. While they pose no threat to my pack physically- they are killing the small animals that live in the area. So much so- that they have started in on the large deer." His words weaving understanding into her.
"They attack any animal that comes to the river to drink, ganging up on them at times. If this continues, the wild life cannot grow to be adults, and my pack have no meat to survive the winter with."
He gathered a few rocks as he spoke.
"So-" He threw a single rock into the closest perch of Tengu, sending the 3 demons flying into the sky.
"What better practice for an archer than a moving target." he nodded towards the quiver of arrows with a smile.
"I would be grateful for your help in securing my packs resources." he finished.
Understanding the situation she smiled.
"I am happy to help if it means my wolf friends get to have food in their belly this winter." she agreed- notching her arrows and shooting the three creatures from the sky.
Kouga gathered the fallen and stripped them from her arrows. They continued this pattern for a bit- Kouga rousing them from their perch with a well thrown rock, Kagome shooting them down.
After about 20- she heard him chuckle.
"Your aim is as good as ever."
She beamed at the compliment. Not used to receiving praise. Inuyasha never told her she did good.
She jolted as she realized she was able to pull a memory about him without feeling despair.
"But- that's not the only thing I figure you need to work with. You need to work on using your purification. Or rather- the control of its use."
Looking at the wolf demon- he stood strong. Surveying they situation at hand. Something that she had seen on occasion throughout her previous travels.
She nodded- not needing further instruction. She notched another arrow and concentrated on her Reiki. Pulling the energy from her center. Feeling the power flow from her stomach- through her chest and into her hands. The hardest part- was gathering the energy from the palms of her hands- and threading it down into her fingers- to the bow and arrow.
She had learned she could purify demons when she first fell through the well with mistress centipede. But at that point in her life- she could send the pulses only through her palms.
It took practice to learn her purification arrows. And it had been a while since she had shot them, but she was proud as she loosed the arrow- successfully purifying two at the same time as the aura burst with a strong light.
"Alright! Way to go Kagome!" she heard him cry out.
"I knew you would be better at handling this than the mutt!" he continued.
A shadow fell on her face at the continued mention of Inuyasha.
"I was close to asking him for his help you know- I hate to admit it- but he has a way with that sword of his. This would have been too easy for him." He shuddered at the memory of being the target of that blade a few times.
"Yea- it would have." she agreed flatly.
Her heart beat was increasing the more he was mentioned.
Kouga could feel his instincts scratching at him. Turning to look at her- he noted the stiffness she exuded.
"You know- I only left you with him because of that power. I knew you would be protected- even if I wasn't around." he knowingly prodded at her. Attempting to draw the response he was looking for.
Kagomes' thoughts flashed a memory before her..
"Shut up and let me protect you!"
The tear in her chest flowed with her heart beat as the void from before came rushing back. Their final conversation drifting back into her mind. Rampant thoughts filling her head.
Protect...protection….protecting me.. he would always…
She closed her eyes at the onslaught of feeling.
"He is always protecting me- even from possibly making a mistake…" her last loving thoughts about Inuyasha flashed in front of her. Like text in a book. She could almost see herself from that night- as if she were an onlooker.
The pure love she had been emitting. Not knowing it would be shattered in a moment. The moment he spoke her name.
Oh how she wished to go back to that mind set. The love-blind girl that would give up everything she knew for a man who would give up everything they had…
.
.
.
She felt like the word protection no longer held it's meaning. How could a single moment scar her from using a word to it's true purpose?
How could one person- take something like that from her? I knew you would be protected… Kougas words followed the images.
He is protecting someone else now….anger flared at the back of her mind. Her attempts to shove the emotion back were futile, the anger and hurt flaring through her with each beat of her heart.
Her fingers tingling as her Reiki flared.
"Kagome…" she hears Kouga call her name. She opened her eyes- and saw her aura flared around her, purple sparks filling the space around them- bouncing off his tan skin.
"It's time." was all he said.
A large spark grazing off of his face as he spoke. His bright blue eyes wincing at the purified energy.
"Breathe and focus. You need to control your powers. Breathe and focus your energy into your next shot." his words breaking through the harsh thoughts she was yelling internally.
She does as she is told pushing the angry version of herself to the side, and pulling her energy into her center. She can feel the build up as she pulls the energy from the air around them, the ball getting bigger and bigger in her stomach.
She felt like she would burst, and then, she moved it- through her chest- down her arms, and into her fingers. The flow of energy being held by a thread of concentration.
Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead as she focused on the task at hand. Noticing the air was free of the purple aura, the tip of he arrow lighting up with bright purple energy.
She focused on the sky and saw nothing to shoot at. Her grip on the energy slipping, she quickly turned towards the forest, and focused on the many eyes staring back at her. She felt the warmth from the energy begin to get uncomfortable, and she released her arrow. Into the forest.
As the arrow flew- Kagome could feel the energy pulled from her like strings from a spider web- quickly draining her of her miko powers...her energy… and her anger.
The arrow flew through the trees- hitting beyond her line of sight- releasing the purified energy into the woods, a huge burst of purple light engulfing the tree line- vanquishing the demons in sight.
Kouga could only stare in awe at the power she had released, albeit not too surprised. He knew she was powerful. But he was always shocked when he saw her full force.
She turned to Kouga, panting.A smirk on her face, as beads of sweat covered her forehead.
A Tengu flew above the pair and Kagome notched another arrow- sending a shot of purification towards her target.
However- no energy flew with the arrow.
A plain arrow shot towards the beast, falling short as surprise filled her face.
She staggered a bit as she stood straight.
"Ha… I think I over did it on the last one…" her voice an audible whisper.
She saw Kouga nod in agreement.
"That was definitely a lot of power. I'm just glad you weren't mad at ME. I would be toast." he joked.
She smiled….feeling slightly better. A slight frown filled her face as she thought about her spiritual powers.
"I've never NOT been able to draw them when needed though…." her brow furrowing as she thought back to an initial conversation with Kaede.
"I think…." she began.
"I think I need to meditate to release some of my anger...otherwise it will block my powers...or atleast, that's what I've been told haha…" she blushed as she spoke, slightly embarrassed at the situation.
"Sounds about right- since your a priestess and all." Kouga responded.
"Well- it looks like you've cleared this area of those creatures…. I don't smell any of them left. I wasn't expecting to be done so soon. If you want, you can spend the afternoon doing your meditations. I can keep a look out for you, so your not disturbed…" he finished.
Kagome looked over her friend. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot waiting for her to answer.
He's nervous! She realized.
He is being so nice….
"Okay. Yes, that sounds like a plan." She nods emphasizing her decision.
She see's a smile break his face, as his shoulders fall in relief.
"But first, I need to eat. I drained all of my energy on that last one.." she laughed.
She began to wobble towards her satchel and he ran to her side. Leaving his arm far enough away to be an offer of help if she wanted.
How considerate… she thought to herself.
"You hungry?" she asked- as she took the offer. She was drained- she couldn't hide it. She was grateful for the help.
Sitting down she began to pull out food. He sat next to her sniffing the items in her hands-tail wagging behind him.
"Kagome- I am a wolf- my hunger...is never sated." he said. Eyes locking with hers.
She couldn't help but think his words had double meaning….
She blushed and rolled her eyes- handing him some jerky and a rice ball.
"Well- let's eat."
A/N:
Sorry I took a bit to get the next chapter out. You know how it goes.
I really hope you as the reader are doing well in these crazy times. Thanks for sticking by me in this story. As I mentioned- this is my first piece in a long time. So you may notice my writing style changing/improving as I go. (Hopefully improving haha) Stay tuned for the next chapter. It will be a good one. I have it all laid out- just gotta finish writing it and edit it! So until next time!
Stay Safe!
-KKB