Here's chapter 3! I *FINALLY* got to type this part up, after writing it so many weeks ago...or was it days? *shrugs* I have no idea. I hope you enjoy this installment of "Mysterious Hanyou", and...and...I dunno, I can't think of anything to type up for these author notes...^_^;

Disclaimer: Kouga and friends...well, not exactly friends, but Kouga and...everyone in Inuyasha belongs to the magnificent Rumiko Takahashi. *BUT* Inuko and her personality belongs to me. *MMMEEEEEEEEEEEE*!!!! GOT IT!? good!

Okay!

Now on with the story!!!

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Mysterious Hanyou
Chapter 3: Catching Up
By: Akiko
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He ran through the darkening forest, his luminous blue eyes sparkling in the pale moonlight. Night had fallen. He had left her by herself...for how long now? An hour or two? With his speed, she shouldn't be able to catch up...

But then...Why hadn't he stopped running yet?

'Damned hanyou!' he thought to himself, the wind blowing through his long, ebony hair as he sped through the woods.

Kouga finally began to slow down, and stopped by a tree. He leaned against it, staring up at the patches of sky that could be seen through the trees' thick leaves. The stars were out now, but not very many of them. A cold breeze blew through the forest, making the hair on the wolf-prince's skin stand on end.

He sniffed at the air, his brow lowered in concentration.

'It smells like there's going to be a storm coming soon...' Kouga thought, his bright blue eyes scanning the woods for a shelter where he could stay dry for the night.

For some odd reason, his thoughts strayed to a certain young hanyou, one that piqued his curiousity, yet disgusted him because she was related to a certain piece of crap.

The thought of poor Inuko trapped in the rain with no protection from youkai almost made the young wolf go running back to her. Almost. He had taken a step forward, ready to run the long way back to Inuko, but he didn't.

'Why the hell should I protect her?!' he thought furiously, angered by his own thoughts and actions. 'Why the ***k did I even let her come with me in the first place?!'

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?" Kouga roared furiously, slamming his fist into the tree he had been leaning on, splintering it.

.................

The poor little hanyou sat there, not quite sure what to do next after he left.

An hour later, she had started walking towards his scent, but was that really the wisest choice?

'YES!' her rational mind screamed at her. 'YOU NEED HIM FOR PROTECTION, BAKA!'

"I can protect my own damn self just fine..." she grumbled to herself, her golden eyes focused on the ground in front of her.

Dirt.

Dirt.

Tree root. Gotta make sure not to trip again.

Dirt. Tree root. Dirt. Dirt. Hey look, it's some grass!

Inuko went on like this, heading towards the only person she knew, for quite awhile, completely unaware that she was being watched by two pairs of unblinking, blood-red eyes...

One hour later...

"Dammit!" she cursed to the forest air around her. "HOW FAR DID THAT JERK GO!?"

She went on like this for a few minutes, yelling, cursing, ranting and raving to the crisp forest air about a certain wolf-youkai. The hanyou-girl shouted about "that arrogant jerk!" while walking, amusing the eyes that were watching her.

'This girl's got spunk.'

'Yeah, I know. Should we play with her, or eat her? I can't decide...she's beautiful, but tasty looking!'

'I know how you feel....'

The eyes continued to watch her as she stopped, and stared at the stars she could see through the stormclouds that were approaching.

"I SWEAR!" Inuko vowed before the stars and the forest, "AS SOON AS I CATCH UP TO...to...WHAT THE HELL IS NAME!? DAMMIT! THAT DAMNED WOLF DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME HIS NAME! WELL, WHOEVER THE HELL HE IS, I'M KICKING HIS SORRY ASS WHEN I FIND HIM!"

And with that, she took off like a shot, dashing through the forest at top speed...

...before tripping over a tree root...

...yet again.

"OUCH! DAMNED TREES! WHY THE HELL DO THEY HAVE TO GET IN MY--"

*crunch* *crack*

"Eh...?" her snow white ears swiveled around, trying to pinpoint the sounds.

'It kinda sounded like twigs snapping...' she thought, slowly standing up.

Her warm golden eyes scanned the woods surrounding her, and she focused her senses on her environment. There had to be something that made that sound...right? Or was she just imagining it in her rush to kick Kouga's ass?

"Heheheh..."

Inuko spun around, her white hair glistening.

'Coming from behind me?!' she thought, panicked.

"O...not only are you beautiful, and spunky..." the youkai in front of her teased, "You've got a Shikon shard too..."

He grinned evilly, and looked at his brother behind the hanyou-girl.

"So, what do you want to do; play with her, or eat her?"

"Heheheh...I think...we should play first!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Inuko yelled, turning around to face the other youkai.

'Holy bleep!...if I don't get out of here...I'm dead!'

Before her, the handsome, human *looking* youkai stood there grinning, his blood-red eyes glistening...glistening with lust? hunger? desire? She couldn't tell, but she sure as hell didn't want to know. His long, midnight blue strands of hair swayed gently in the cold breeze, from Inuko's angle, you couldn't tell he was hiding a sword behind his back...

His twin brother, stood there with a similar expression, except he seemed almost...greedy. Like he wanted her all to himself. His twin, Jiro, the younger of the two, caught this glint in his brother's eyes. Jiro frowned. There was no WAY that Taro was going to get this vixen all to himself. Taro glared at his younger brother, his short, shoulder length hair, the color of the midnight sky, blowing in the breeze.

'No, Jiro. You're not taking her. She's got a Shikon shard, and it rightfully belongs to me. And so does she.'

'I don't think so, Taro, she's MINE!'

The unseen, unheard conversation went on, and Inuko seemed to sense this. In the heat of the argument, they seemed to have forgotten all about hanyou-girl, which gave her the chance to escape.

Inuko slowly took a few steps backwards, trying to attract as little attention as possible.

'Must, escape!' she thought, trying to find means of escaping without being chased.

There was no way she could get away unnoticed.

'I guess I have no choice...'

She dashed towards Taro, shoving him to the ground as she passed by. Inuko heard Taro curse rather loudly, and she could hear their footsteps quickly catching up to hers.

'Need. More. Speed.'

The hanyou-girl took to the trees, leaping limb from limb, at an incredible speed that she wasn't even aware that she possessed. Amazing what fear and adrenaline can do to you, huh?

Inuko leapt back down to the ground, and kept running straight ahead at full speed. She could feel them coming, if she didn't hurry up, they would catch up to her...

'They're coming!!!!'

She put on an extra burst of speed, not really paying attention to where she was going. In a streak of red and white, she crashed into something hard, she wasn't quite sure what it was, but she sure as hell knocked it over.

The white-haired hanyou tumbled to the ground, landing on top of something...

...or rather, someone.

She let out a string of curses, things that only potty-mouthed Inuyasha would say. Then it hit her. Whatever she was lying on top of was...awfully warm.

"Urk..."

Her keen youkai nose picked up a familiar scent; it could only be the scent that he had.

'Please don't let it be him...' she thought over and over.

Maybe if she said that enough, it would come true? Yeah, right.

Inuko slowly opened her gold colored eyes, meeting the stare of bright, blue ones. It was him. Of *course* it was him, who else could it be?

Kouga frowned at the hanyou on top of him. Where the hell had she come running from? He wanted to push her off, but he felt oddly comfortable in that position, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

The wolf mentally smacked himself. What the hell was he thinking? She was a hanyou, a hanyou related to Inuyasha, too! He shouldn't, couldn't have feelings for her. Hell, he didn't even like her. He loved Kagome.

"Eep..."

The wolf-youkai quickly shoved her off of himself, sending her sprawling to the ground. He quickly got up, and glared at the hanyou-girl, his eyes saying 'You damn klutz'. Inuko appeared to yell something at Kouga, but her ears twitched, reminding her of the reason she was running in the first place.

"$#I7! COME ON...whatever the hell your name is...WE HAVE TO GET OUTTA HERE!" Inuko commanded, jumping to her feet and grabbing on to Kouga's arm, about to run for her life...

...But Kouga stopped her, and was staring in front of him, straight at the twin youkai.

"Oh...brother, she's got a mate!" exclaimed Jiro.

"Hmph. Who cares. He's probably just a wimp anyway, but let's play with them both, ne, Jiro?" Taro said to his brother.

"Just a wimp" ?! Did these guys even KNOW who the hell he WAS?!

Kouga growled at the two youkai, and beared his pearly white fangs. His blue eyes shone with annoyance and anger, while Inuko stood behind him, desperately trying to brave.

Without a second thought, Kouga jumped into the air, and kicked down with all his might, landing a hard blow on Taro's chest, sending him flying into a tree, breaking it.

'TARO!' mentally exclaimed Jiro.

Jiro's blood-red eyes turned to Kouga, and though he was seething with anger inside, a cocky grin was plastered on to his face. There was no way this wolf's gonna win.

"That hanyou-girl's ours!"

Jiro charged at Kouga, drawing out his long sword from its sheathe on his back. He sliced at Kouga, only managing to give him a little cut on his skin. Thank goodness for Shikon shards, ne?

Inuko watched on helplessly as Kouga and Jiro exchanged blows. There has to be something she could do...wasn't there?

"Eh?" she noticed something long and black slicing through the air towards Kouga. A whip?

'Taro!'

"Kouga watch OUT!"
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Well, there's the end of Chapter Three for yah! ^_^; Cliff hanger alright with you? Hehehe...*evil grin* I know what I'm gonna do next...I think. Actually, I'm not sure! *sweatdrops* I hope you enjoyed reading this! AND I have a little suggestion for you: Go read Panda-chan's currently untitled 'fic! Ok? It's really good!
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