Notes: I'm not sure if the summary is working. When ever I saved it, it refreshed and was blank. Grrrr. Anywho, I hope you like this chapter. The past two were edited for minor mistakes and the white wolf is now male, I planned to leave it sexless but for the purposes of this chapter, it's male (you'll see). Translations from now on will be listed at the beginning of each chapter for your convenience. After this one, I'll only list new words (though I doubt there will be any more). I only listed the ones that don't have context clues. Tell me if I should list all of them or not use them at all. My authors notes are long as it is -___-
Translations: Inu-koro [dog-shit/dog-turd], ecchi [lewd/indecent], shoji [sliding wood and paper door], ouhi [queen], toguu [crown prince], otousan [father], tajiya [exterminator], koiishi [beloved], kitsune [fox]
Disclaimer: Though I own many Inuyasha plushies (can't find one of Bankotsu yet), I don't own Inuyasha. What I do own is the plot, Sayo, the white wolf, and Nekori.
Once in a Blue Moon: [2] Cold Season
By Sarien-chan (ChibiSarien@netscape.net)
The white wolf paced in the cover of the trees. He was lucky that it was already January. Winter brought snow and gave the lighter colored animals protection, not that the wolf needed it. His diamond strong teeth, powerful jaws, and razor sharp claws effectively kept would be predators at bay.
Still, the wolf kept to the shadows. He knew that discovery by animals and lesser youkai weren't dangerous, so much as humans and more hostile youkai. The scent of an Inu youkai, possibly a hanyou, filled the clearing below. A fight now would just delay the search for answers.
His sensitive ears twitched, feeling the wind shift. Turning its nose to the air, he sniffed. A sixth sense confirmed the feeling that something was coming. Tri-colored irises turned towards the well at the center of the clearing and waited.
A fumbling sound followed by some cursing could be heard from the direction of the well. Two figures struggled out of the abandoned well. One was the source of the Inu-scent, the other smelled faintly of his query. She's not the one. The expression of the wolf could have been mistaken for human disappointment and was not helped by the human like sigh that followed.
The wolf gave a barely audible growl as it surveyed the girl. She smelled faintly of Makoto, as if she'd come in contact with the hime recently. The girl also radiated white magic with hidden reserves she probably didn't know about. It took a great deal of restraint for the wolf to prevent himself from attacking that girl then and there; taking revenge that was long over due. His feelings were understandable seeing as many of her kind had imprisoned him a millennium past.
This kit is too young to be one of them.
He could have sworn that the young miko sensed his presence as she scanned the area. There was a sense of relief as the girl climbed onto the back of the hanyou, and went at full speed in the opposite direction.
Immediately a strange sense of anticipation filled the white creature, for he could not truly be defined as a wolf (though it had the appearance of one), nor could he be defined as a youkai.
But there was no mistaking the earthy scent in the air. Makoto-hime. The metallic tang of blood in the air disturbed him. Added to that, there was no further movement from the well…no signs of the occupant making any attempt to leave.
Alarmed, he ran at full speed towards the well, which he knew was no ordinary one. The well thankfully wasn't deep so the end came into view easily. There, at the well's bottom, was the girl Makoto.
She was the one who's blood called to his very own. And there she lay, unconscious yet alive, in a small pool of her own blood. A whisper at the back of his mind reminded him that with memories, she could be saved. As luck would have it, the wolf remembered nothing, not even his own name or origin. None of that would help the hime now.
The agony and guilt of not being able to help her tore through the white wolf and was expressed in a howl. At that moment he knew that recovering his memories wasn't significant compared to protecting this girl at all costs, which was his new life mission. But without human hands, he could never hope to retrieve her.
-^-^-^-^-^-(Less then a mile away…)^-^-^-^-^-
"Inu-koro," a young man snarled, catching the scent of his rival in the air.
He was setting a leisurely pace through the forest (though some would differ), only stopping briefly to get his bearings. It was dark but the half moon was already out, not that it would dampen the boy's senses or spirits for that matter. Kagome was near by and he felt energetic. All thoughts of his self-imposed mission, taking revenge upon Naraku, all but vanished from his mind.
His blue eyes widened slightly as he sniffed the air. If he had been a true wolf, his fur would have bristled, for the scent was very unwanted. It wasn't Inu-koro, the kitsune, or even any other breed of youkai he was familiar with.
"Kuso!" the black haired youkai cursed. He recognized the scent now. A wolf in its prime was on his territory. But that was not too unusual. It was the scent of human blood mingled with that of the wolf that bothered him.
"I guess it's up to me to show this guest out and maybe save the poor human. Hopefully, it's not dead yet. If the villagers find out, they'll put the blame on the yorozoku tribe. Kagome wouldn't like that. Might as well have fun showing this wolf off."
He smiled arrogantly, baring sharp fangs, yet something concerned him about the wolf scent. It smelled like a wolf but something about it seemed…unnatural.
The yorozoku cracked his knuckles, trying not to worry about it but failing as he resumed his pace. Of course, the two Shikon no Kakera in his legs gave him a boosted speed, causing him to leave a trail of dust in his wake.
Cries of "Kouga slow down!" could be heard in the distance from two other youkai, which were joined from tired barks from several wolves.
Kouga, the pack leader, didn't pay any heed to the voices. The prospects of a battle and this curious scent spurred him on.
~------(Kagome)------~
"I could have sworn that I felt the Shikon no Kakera coming from this village. But…its vanished," the raven haired miko said, her brows furrowed in confusion. Unless the girl's powers had faded, there was no way she could be wrong. Then again, the village was deserted and looked like it had been that way for many years. Many things could have occurred in the time it took them to arrive.
The white haired hanyou sneezed. "Don't look at me like that Kagome. I said I'm fine," he said. Kagome frowned. 'That's what he said the last two times. Stubborn Inuyasha. He just doesn't want to admit that he could have a cold.' She sighed and looked once more at the empty village around them.
"Are you sure you guided us in the right direction Kagome-sama?" a man dressed in traditional Buddhist monk clothes asked, inching ever so closer to 'Kagome-sama.' But before his roaming hands could do any mischief to her lower extremities, a giant boomerang made out of youkai bone knocked him hard on the head.
"Hentai!" exclaimed a girl who was currently dressed in a body fitting black and pink youkai hunting outfit. The young woman was also the owner of the boomerang, which she held while glaring at the priest, her left eye twitching.
"Sango, these hands are possessed," the priest said, feigning innocence. Nobody in the group was fooled. This behavior was as commonplace as Inuyasha's cursing or the small kitsune youkai's love of sweets. That didn't mean that Sango had to like it.
"Do you want me to cut those hands off for you, Miroku? Keep your damn hands to yourself," he threatened.
"Inuyasha be quiet or I'll make you! Kagome's trying to concentrate!" pleaded a small energetic kitsune youkai. It looked silly threatening the hanyou who was more then triple his size and completely out of his league. Kagome, his "adopted mother", would put Inuyasha in his place though. One good 'osuwari' would quiet him down. The little boy would just have to make sure to stay away from him for a while if he wanted to avoid a strong, arrogant hanyou with a grudge. It wasn't the kitsune's fault that Kagome liked him better then the hanyou.
"Shippou, you little runt." The white haired boy cracked his knuckles and glared menacingly at the young kitsune who promptly cried "Kagome" and hid behind her legs. She broke her concentration and turned to the group, holding the kit in her arms, while the hanyou growled in what the kitsune assumed was jealousy. Shippou blew a raspberry at him.
Kagome wasn't paying any attention at all to this. "Ano…Miroku…do you sense something wrong about this village, other that it's deserted? I feel something that's not the Shikon no Kakera but…" she trailed off.
Miroku's expression sobered as she closed his eyes and concentrated. It seemed that the little village wasn't as deserted as they thought for the monk could sense another human presence though no other youkai. Could there possibly be any villagers left? The monk's hunch was confirmed as the sound of footsteps was heard.
Inuyasha was immediately alert, not even relaxing when the owner of the footfalls turned out to be a young human girl. He still sniffed the air for good measure. She didn't smell like a youkai, nor was Naraku's taint anywhere on her. One couldn't be too cautious…
Miroku on the other hand was really starting to believe that today was his lucky day, despite an inauspicious start. Black eyes roved over the body of the girl, which he assumed to be about seventeen. She was far from plain. With curves in the right places, perfect red lips, silky black hair, and the most innocent brown eyes, what man could resist?
Amber eyes surveyed the situation wearily, and gave a warning growl that she should come no closer.
Ok, so maybe Inuyasha was immune. The monk certainly wasn't, but kept his façade innocent, though the thoughts whirling through his heads were far from that and most definitely ecchi. Obviously this girl was lonely, living in an isolated village and all. Miroku chivalrously took it upon himself to fix that. He didn't stop to consider why she was the only one in the village as he took hold of the now startled girl's hands
"Will you bear my-" he couldn't finish his well-worn lines as Sango took the initiative and elbowed him in the gut.
"Do you need any help? You look pale…" Kagome started.
"Who are you working for and why are you here alone?" demanded Inuyasha. The girl burst into tears at this verbal attack, puzzling everybody. "Baka! You made her cry!" Kagome gently took the girl by the hand, "we can't help you unless we know what's wrong with you."
The girl wiped her tears with the fold of her kimono and looked up. "Wa…watashi wa Egami Sayo." Saying her name seemed to take a lot of effort for the girl, for she immediately began to cry again. Kagome patted the girl's back and looked helplessly at the others. It seems like it would be awhile before they got any useful information out of her.
---~(Kouga)~---
It was a high offence in youkai wolf society to trespass on another pack's territory without permission from the Alpha male, in this case Kouga. There had been no incursions by unfamiliar yorozoku in decades with the fierce reputation of the western yorozoku tribe. With Kagome's arrival and new position as potential Alpha female (though unwilling), they stopped killing humans. That there was a human probably already dead and the scent of an enemy wolf in the air…
'Maybe that's why this is happening now,' Kouga speculated as he continued blazing a trail through the thick forest. He was following the wolf scent since there weren't any tracks to be found, another thing that struck him as odd. But he ignored the little voice in the back of his mind that was telling him something was wrong, especially when Kagome's scent was now in the air.
Her scent was about an hour old. 'Inu-koro did something right for a change, taking Kagome away from the danger. Still, she would have been safer with me. We'll have to talk about her moving into the den later.'
Kouga stopped at the edge of a clearing, fangs peeking out in a smirk. All of his senses were at their peek and he still had the two Shikon no Kakera embedded in his legs. The enemy wolf would not escape.
He stepped cautiously into the clearing, careful to stay upwind of it. There was nothing special about the clearing, just an old well and a giant tree that gave him the shivers. It was too quiet…
---~----
The white wolf watched the strange male youkai from behind a tree. His muscles were quivering with suppressed energy, waiting for the right moment to attack and release it on the unlucky youkai. He didn't know why he hesitated. Maybe it was because the youkai was an Alpha male…maybe it was because he had opposable thumbs. He didn't want to admit to himself that this young yorozoku could do something he could not, move the hime out of the well.
So he waited and watched as the youkai peered down the well and began to curse. He doesn't look like he wants to eat her. Still, the white wolf remained ready to kill the yorozoku at a moment's notice.
To his surprise the youkai jumped down the well and emerged with the hime in his arms, a thoughtful look on his face as he set her down.
Both the yorozoku and the white wolf were examining the girl with equal interest. For the youkai, it was curiosity at the head wound she had received, most likely from falling down the well. For the white wolf it was surprise. He never pictured that human as his glorious hime.
Her strange white and brown fuku was dirty and ripped from the fall. There were long claw marks on her legs that were bleeding sluggishly as well as a long gash on her skull and bruise at her temple, which appeared to be why she was unconscious. She looked like a doll that somebody abused and tossed aside. Anger filled the white wolf. Whatever caused her pain would die and since there wasn't anybody around but the youkai…
He stalked towards the youkai, with a stealth that was unique to his not wolf not youkai form let his instincts take control then lunged for the youkai's throat.
---~(Kouga)~---
The girl's appearance unnerved him. It wasn't just the state she was in but the aura she radiated. 'Nature…' Kouga had no time to examine her further as the wind changed in direction, alerting him to the presence of the enemy wolf. He barely had time to dodge, so settled for using his arm to knock the wolf back.
It worked; the wolf was pushed back several feet. But that wasn't enough.
"Kuso! I have things to do, I don't have time to play!"
Kouga dodged lunges and sharp claws that would decapitate him if he let his guard down. Anger got the better of the yorozoku. He found an opening before the wolf lunged in with his sharp teeth and kicked the wolf. It flew a couple of feet into the cover of the forest.
All was quiet…Kouga knew that his attack was not enough to keep a dominant wolf down. He was right. Kouga heard the tell tale signs of an impending attack; the rattle of tree branches wouldn't have been heard by a human. His pointed youkai ears picked it up. He readied himself.
The white wolf did an incredible leap from the top of a tree branch to his right. He did a midair kick, intercepting the attack and knocking the wolf into a nearby tree with a sickening crack…it didn't get back up.
"Not even worth my time," Kouga said arrogantly. He walked back to the well near the girl. "Baka onna, must have fallen in…she smells like Kagome and Kagome would probably want to see her. It can't be far to where ever the hell Inu-koro has taken her…"
He thought about leaving her but if Kagome found out… "What I do for Kagome," he muttered as he picked her up. For a second he just studied face. A part of him wondered what color her eyes were. He could sense the muscles under his hands. The girl was a fighter -that much was obvious yet her scent still puzzled him. It was like smelling the forest after the morning dew.
"Keh! I'm getting all poetic now. Must be because Kagome is nearby. Well, the sooner I drop the her off, the sooner I can take Kagome away from that baka."
The yorozoku adjusted his grip so that he was now carrying her bridal style, so as not to further injure her, and was off. His speed was cut in half by the new weight. Still, he would get to Kagome within a half-hour even with the girl.
~---(Dream: Makoto)---~
A woman paced the length of a short rug, occasionally pulling at her brown locks or smoothing invisible wrinkles from her green kimono in an attempt to suppress obvious frustration and anger.
I wondered what she could be thinking about that could make her so angry. Heck, I even asked…but she didn't look, at me, or even acknowledge my presence, which bothered me a lot somehow. It wasn't until my hands passed through her body that I realized that this was a dream.
Sighing, I stepped back and decided to let the dream play out, studying the woman until the shoji would slide open, and the dream really began.
The woman was about twentyish but since I count a time guardian among my closest friends, she may very well be a century old. She was about half a foot shorter then my 5'6" but that didn't make her any less imposing, though the laugh lines around her mouth softened that effect. The expensive looking green kimono she wore (patterned with lilies), along with a silver circlet on her brow, proclaimed her some sort of royalty, a hime if not ouhi.
Something still bothered me about her aura. It reminded me of ancient forests, serene and untouched by man. She turned and looked at the double doors behind me. I saw her eyes. They were a deep green. As I stared into them I knew there was something powerful and ancient lurking just beneath the surface.
She turned and looked at the shoji, as if anticipating somebody's arrival. I couldn't turn away from her eyes and paid for it as anger filled them. It suddenly smelled like roses…
All of that emotion crashed into me. I felt like somebody had done an "oak evolution" on me, and then dropped a mountain for good measure. It was as if my powers of nature had been turned against me. My senshi attacks were like a sapling compared to this Sequoia.
Then I knew…this woman didn't channel nature like I did…she was nature.
'Oh Kami-sama,' I thought while gasping for air. Sometime during all this, I had sunk to my knees, the spell broken. 'But she wasn't even doing anything on purpose! Her eyes weren't even directly on my but at the shoji!' I shuddered at the implications of that thought. 'If she does really want to hurt somebody…' But something told me that she was gentle more often then not, comforting even. A warm shoulder to cry on. Of course that's probably our elemental link talking.
While I was recovering from this newest revelation, I had missed some dialogue.
"-But Hani-koi," the newcomer started. He was a tall man with the build of a warrior, dressed in a red haori [1]. What's more is that he had claws…long deadly looking ones at that. I don't know what color his hair was or what color eyes he had. I learned my lesson the first time when I looked into this "Hani's" eyes. Whatever man that would dare call this woman "koi" and be on the receiving end of the fury in those emerald eyes and not be whimpering on the floor had to be at least on par with Hani's power. If those dangerous claws were a testament to anything…he could handle his own.
I'm definitely not going to look into those eyes and find myself going though that ordeal again (or worse), no thank you!' Instead, I kept my gaze at the silver pendant at his neck on which hung a lightning bolt, superimposed over a small drum.
"Don't give me that 'Hani-koi!' I'm mad at you Rai-koi," she mimicked his rough voice on the honorific. "You deserve every minute of it!" she continued in a scary calm in a voice that brought to mind swaying trees.
'What could this Rai have done to piss her off?' I wondered, suddenly sympathetic for the man with the lightning pendant. After all, anybody who likes electricity can't be that bad, ne?
"I did it for your own good Hani-koi. Okuni-kun is the best healer on Saturn and they're known for healing and…" he stopped. "Death," whispered the woman. "He's the touguu of Saturn, koishii, and he is the best for this job…you haven't talked to him for ages you know…he wants to help you," Rai said in a in his rough voice which was surprisingly gentle. It made me want to look into his eyes and see what kind of person he really was. Like Minako says, "Eyes are the doors to your heart."
I reminded myself of what happened the last time and kept my eyes glued on the pendant.
"I am not sick baka and you know it…I'm pregnant," she added softly.
"I know koishii…that's what I was afraid of. Hani-koi, you can't do this again. You know what you have to do, right?" he asked in a pained voice.
I risked a look at her face. The anger had left her features, replaced with a river of sorrow and regret. I looked away before her eyes could entrap me again.
Rai wrapped his strong hands gently around Hani. "I can't bear it again," she whispered into the folds of his haori, voice filled with sadness.
Something wet dripped down my chin. It took me a minute to realize that I was crying. Thankfully the dream dissolved and I drifted off into a deeper sleep, uninterrupted by further dreams.
~---(Kagome)---~
"Gomen minna, I'll be back in a minute with tea. You all look like you could do with something warm inside," Sayo said and hurried out of the small headman's hut. Nobody had occupied the hut in at least a year so they weren't imposing on anybody.
The group exchanged glances. Egami Sayo had just given them her sad story.
"I don't buy it," Inuyasha said simply just before sneezing. His watery eyes just dared somebody to comment.
"What part of it?" Sango asked cautiously since Inuyasha looked very angry.
"The villagers here chased her out when she was ten because she was a bastard, her father was a mercenary who knocked up her mother on a raid. They were scared he would come back for her. That, I buy. What I don't is that she came here yesterday, all the way from China, for the first time in nine years and found an empty village. She claims that they died of a plague…there are no bodies. And even if there was a plague, there's no sign of anybody leaving in a hurry."
"I don't sense a Shikon no Kakera nearby. You're just being paranoid Inuyasha," Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Maybe he is right," Miroku said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Not you too!" Kagome said, irritation all over her features.
"She's very beautiful, I admit…a little bit flat in the chest. Ow, Sango! I was joking. You know I only have eyes for your chest," the monk said, rubbing his newly sore cheek. The sound of grinding teeth could be heard. "But she smells like Inoue's blue butterfly fragrance #3."
Miroku received several blank stares. "It's a perfume that a…erm, geisha makes for her fellow…friends," he finished lamely.
"Houshi-sama, what does that have to do with the present situation?" the youkai tajiya asked, not meeting the monk's eyes.
"It's a unique fragrance. Inoue is the only person who makes it and she lives on the other side of Japan, nowhere near China. Sayo says she grew up there so there's little chance that she has met Inoue. Besides, Inoue only makes it for special friends and I recall Sayo saying that she has worked as a servant in a distant relative's inn her whole life.
"You were actually listening to her Miroku? It looked like you were looking at her-" the kitsune stopped at a glare from the monk that promised a considerable amount of pain should he continue.
"Suppose you're right and she's lying, what do we do?" Kagome asked. Her question remained unanswered as Sayo returned with a tray of small teacups.
"It took me a while to find the tea in my packs. I thought you might like it since it's cold," she said with a small unsure smile.
"Arigato, Sayo-san," Sango said and took the cup that was offered to her. It was getting colder outside and had snowed the night before so any warmth was welcome. Shippou and Kirara were making short work of the servings they were given. Miroku sipped his gratefully as he watched Sayo bend down over to give the sitting Inuyasha a cup.
"Sumimasen Kagome-san. It seems that I am a glass short. I will bring it right away," Sayo said and rushed out of the door.
The miko looked over at the others. All of them were sipping contentedly at the tea, though Inuyasha complained that it tasted "a little better then piss." He drank it anyway for he was beginning to feel the chill and regret giving his haori to Kagome.
'I guess I can't complain about anything. Sayo was kind enough to bring us tea,' she thought.
The kitsune yawned. "It's not even afternoon yet and I feel so," here he yawned again, "sleepy." Shippou fell back against Kirara, asleep before he fell. The neko youkai soon gave a purr and followed his example.
"Shippou! Kirara! Sango, what's wrong with them?" Kagome exclaimed while she tried to shake an unresponsive kitsune awake. She looked over at the youkai tajiya and realized why she had gotten no response. Sango was asleep, sprawled on the wooden floor.
Kagome looked over at Miroku but he was curled up in a ball on the floor. No amount of prodding would wake him up.
"Inuyasha, why is everybody acting this way? Oh no…Sayo must have slipped something into your drinks!"
"Keh! They should have known not to drink the tea," Inuyasha said while standing up and drawing the now transformed Tetsusaiga. He sniffed, his face looking like he was trying not to sneeze.
"But you drank it too!" Kagome retorted.
"Erm…I'm Inuyasha. Like I'd fall asleep because of some stupid human potion," he said in his usual arrogant tone. "We have to go ask this Sayo some questions," Inuyasha yawned. "Then we better-" the Tetsusaiga clattered to the floor and reverted to the rusty katana form. Inuyasha soon followed.
Kagome was immediately at his side. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Wake up! Inuyasha!" she cried. But it was no use. All her friends had fallen victim to a strong sleep potion. 'It's my fault…I didn't think that Sayo could do such a thing…wait, where is Sayo?'
"That was too easy!" exclaimed a familiar voice giddily. Kagome looked at the newcomer and her eyes instantly hardened. "Why, Sayo? Why?" she asked sadly.
"Why? Why do the seasons change? Why does the sun always come up? Why do we have to die? There are a lot of 'why's' Kagome-chan," Sayo said, absently twirling a black strand of hair around her finger.
Kagome dove for her bow and arrows but Sayo beat her to it. "We can't have that. The mistress said to bring you and your Shikon no Kakera only," said the taller girl cheerfully, dangling the bow just out of Kagome's reach.
"You're not taking me that easily!" Kagome prepared to tackle the older girl.
"You wouldn't want to do that Kagome-chan," Sayo pulled out a long hunter's knife from the folds of her kimono, "It's belonged to my otousan once, you know. The villagers found it in the body of the previous chief after our village was raided. This of course was before I was born…never did know why mother kept it. I think she left it for me, before they killed her."
Kagome looked around the room frantically now for a weapon. The other girl noticed her efforts and her smile faltered slightly.
"The past is the past, Kagome-chan. The mistress isn't expecting us for a while yet. I never thought it would be this easy. But the potion the mistress gave me worked rather fast. I admit, I was concerned about the youkai but she said it was a special potion that she made herself and worked on youkai…though your hanyou friend lasted longer then I expected, longer then the true youkai even. I almost thought I didn't slip enough in his drink. He fell asleep too…that's what you can expect from a weak half-breed," Sayo said, with a glance at the sleeping Inuyasha.
"He is not weak!" yelled Kagome. To Sayo's surprise, the girl pushed her to the floor and ran out of the open door.
'I did it! But now what do I do?' she thought while running. Kagome risked a look back and saw Sayo standing there with a triumphant smile on her lips. "Kagome-chan, that wasn't very smart of you," she called after the running girl. 'What is she…'
The girl stopped running. There was no way she could continue, what with a hoard of bees in front of her. They were extremely large bees, each the size of her head, with poisonous stingers to boot.
"Saimyoushou [2]," whispered Kagome.
What's more is that they served as the eyes and ears of the elusive Naraku, their enemy. And where there's smoke, there's fire.
'If they're here then that means that Naraku has something to do with this. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara…they can't help me now.'
"Don't poison the meat you bugs! The mistress needs a snack after resting for so long. And when she gets the Shikon no Kakera, she can come get the rest of her meal. And no you may not have the Shikon no Kakera. It would be much more satisfying if she brought them to Nekori-sama herself then the mistress could feed. Better her then me at least," Sayo said conversationally to the Saimyoushou. They seemed to understand as they immediately flew off.
She turned back to Kagome. "Where were we Kagome-chan? Ah, yes," she switched the knife to her other hand, "Start walking. It's about two miles away and I want to get there before noon."
'So that's why I sensed a Shikon no Kakera near here. The youkai must have visited here then moved out of the range of my senses,' she mused while looking back at the hut, still not believing things were ending this way.
A cold metallic object pressed against the back of her neck. "March, Kagome-chan," Sayo said in that happy voice that was beginning to irk the young miko. 'Inuyasha, please hurry and wake up. I don't want to be eaten!'
~----(Kouga)----~
Kouga walked cautiously through a village, his tail moving from side to side, betraying his anxiety at being in a human habitation. It was abandoned and nobody would panic over the appearance of a yorozoku, but old habits died hard.
'Kagome's been through here. Figures Inu-koro would take her to this dinky little village.'
The girl in his arms shifted slightly but otherwise didn't wake up. Kouga was very relived. He didn't think that he could deal with a shrieking girl right now.
'I need to find Kagome. This girl isn't exactly light.'
The yorozoku paused in front of the largest hut, sensing Kagome's distinctive scent in the air. He went inside, prepared to confront Inuyasha and hopefully work off some energy but was met with silence and an empty room.
'What the hell? I smelled her in here,' he thought, very puzzled.
A sneeze could be heard in the next room as well as footsteps. Kouga immediately dropped into a fighting stance. It didn't surprise him that the person who came through the door way was none other then the hanyou himself.
Inuyasha was stumbling through the door, as if he had one to many cups of sake, leaning heavily on his Tetsusaiga. It would have been really funny at another time, if he wasn't searching for Kagome. The look on the hanyou's face was priceless. His amber eyes were glazed and his nose was red. Inuyasha's face was contorted like he was going to sneeze but settled for a long yawn.
"Eh, Inu-koro, you look like shit," Kouga said bluntly.
"Shut the hell up," he made a sound that was halfway between a yawn and a sneeze, "wimpy wolf."
"Where's the Kagome and the rest of your group?"
Inuyasha rubbed his temple with a clawed hand, struggling to remember. "Sleep potion. That Sayo took Kagome…who's that?" he asked, just noticing the person in Kouga's arms, who was dressed in an outfit similar to that that Kagome would wear.
"A girl I found in a well," Inuyasha's eyes widened at this, remembering where Kagome came from, "Now who is Sayo and where the hell did she take Kagome?" he continued.
"It was a trap," Inuyasha said softly, pride wounded. This didn't make the yorozoku happy. It was obvious that the unconscious girl in his arms was the only thing restraining him from attacking the dazed hanyou.
"Kouga!" yelled a voice. The yorozoku spun around and saw his two pack-mates at the door, trailed by a dozen wolves. They were panting heavily, trying to catch their breaths. The only reason that Kouga didn't register their presence was because their scent was familiar.
"Ginta, Hakkaku," he acknowledged their presence with a nod and walked out the door. "Kouga, where's Kagome-niichan [3]?" asked Hakkaku, the yorozoku with the white Mohawk.
"Ask Inu-koro, he's the one who messed up. And stay with Kagome's pack. Kagome wouldn't like it if they were hurt. Don't eat the kitsune, you should ask Kagome first," he said. "Kouga! Don't leave us again," cried Ginta, the yorozoku with the black and white hair.
Their pack leader smirked. "I'm getting Kagome back," he said, shifting the girl so she was now thrown over his shoulder. With a parting glare at the hanyou, he was off.
Ginta, Hakkaku, and the dozen brown wolves turned their curious eyes at Inuyasha.
"Stay with the others," Inuyasha ordered, sheathing the Tetsusaiga, before running out the door as well.
If Inuyasha's speed was slower then usual, the yorozoku didn't comment, they were too busy sulking. They were left behind in the dust, not that they minded as much this time. Now they got a chance to catch their breaths and possibly prove to Kouga that they could protect "Kagome-niichan's" pack.
[OWARI CHAPTER TWO]
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[1] Kouga calls the unconscious Makoto "Baka onna (idiot woman)." It's a little reminiscent of Wufei but it seems the kind of thing that Kouga would call a girl with his rough/arrogant/rude personality. I doubt he will call her that after she's awake, or rather, not a third time. ^__~
[2] Rai is dressed in a red haori. A haori is formal dress so isn't limited to Inuyasha's firerat haori. Rai is not Inuyasha or Sesshomaru and Hani is not Makoto. It's a silver millennium flashback thing.
[3] Saimyoushou are Naraku's poisonous bugs. The timeline of the story is a week after episode 98. Naraku, injured, has gone into hiding. The gang has come to associate the bugs with Naraku's presence. In one episode, Inuyasha chased a Saimyoushou to try to find Naraku's lair. So now they will assume Naraku is nearby.
[4] Ginta and Hakkaku call Kagome 'neesan' (older sister). Kouga says that he will take Kagome as a mate since he needs a strong one and since she can sense Shikon no Kakera, he wants her (I still debate the concept of him ever being in love with her). When she's "officially" his mate, she will be pack. Pack is family, thus the 'neesan.'
[5] Rai named "Okuni-kun" as the best healer on Saturn and the crown prince. Okuni-kun is actually Okuni-nushi. If you are familiar with Japanese mythology, Okuni-nushi is the god of magic and medicine, the ruler of the unseen things and the spirit world. He seemed perfect for the part of the future king of Saturn. It's a silver millennium flashback so he's a certain somebody's father. Guess…
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Notes: I hope you enjoyed that chapter. It was a cliff hanger only because if I continued, it would be twice this length and not up for another two weeks. Makoto wasn't awake in any of this so this was more of a Kagome chapter. I said it was Makoto and Kagome centered. Maybe I should move this to the Inuyasha section. There also wasn't any romance between the characters yet (unless you count Inuyasha giving Kagome his haori since it was cold). The Kagome/Inuyasha relationship will be more obvious in the next chapter (Sango/Miroku near the end of the story). Kouga/Makoto is the obvious pairing or maybe not so obvious. I didn't want him to see her and automatically fall in love. Those kinds of things take time and rushing it isn't nearly as enjoyable. Since the story is less then 15 chapters, it will come soon. I'm not the best romance writer to let you know. [Next chapter to be released two weeks from today…it's the best I can do].-----Review Please----
Bonus: If anybody can guess what Japanese gods "Hani" and "Rai" are, I'll give write them their own bonus chapter. Clue: "Hani" and "Rai" are short for some other names (letters added after Hani and Rai), the powers I hinted at, and the drum/lightning pendent that Rai wears (which is symbolic for his powers). It will be revealed in due time who they are and what they have to do with Makoto (though the latter isn't hard to guess).
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Favorite Scene/Line: Maybe it was because the youkai was an Alpha male…maybe it was because he had opposable thumbs. [so sad, our wolfie. Maybe he should be given a human form like Artimis {he will be given a name the next chapter}]
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To Girl-chama: Your review was cut off after "I" but your guess was right as to the identity of our wolf and the pairing. But shhhh! Don't say a word and I won't inflate your ego any more. ^__^
To Vash-chan: I felt kind of bad with kicking Rei out of Makoto's life and replacing her with Kagome (sort of). Kouga seemed like the only IY character that would see past Makoto's tough façade. I won't be using 'Freddy' again, or at least I doubt I will. I also read your revisions to the "If only you smile" but I haven't had time to review. Gomen. Nice of Aoshi to take Makoto back to where it ended. =mini review
Sailor Lain: I hope the whole "Inuyasha x-over" hasn't been done to death. I think there are only two other crossovers centered on Makoto (the other ones are of Usagi *shudders*). The wolf's identity wasn't exactly revealed in this chapter but at least you know it's not an enemy.
Blood Rose077: Updates will now be every two weeks on Sunday. I'd appreciate it if you don't hunt me down before then. ^__^
Firey of Jupiter: I hope this was soon enough. It was either this or making it longer and updating in another two weeks. Soon is a relative term though. This was soon for me believe it or not. ///_- --Trowa