A/N: Hi everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? What can I say, Christmas shopping takes up heaps of time! And most of you are freezing cold while I'm melting into a puddle…gotta love these Australian summers…my kingdom for an air conditioner!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing, I tell you!
Tempting Fate
Chapter 5: Sneak Attack
Naraku sat in the centre of the cave, his eyes closed in intense concentration. Invisible waves of power pulsed out of him as he directed his strength towards his goal.
Kagura, despite her dislike of the thing she was forced to call 'master', could not help but be impressed. His recovery had been amazingly swift – he was nearly back to his full strength.
Naraku, deep in his trance, thought of only two things; the Shikon no tama, and the ones who carried it…
Shippo, as seemed to be the norm these days, was grumbling. About what, Kohaku couldn't be sure; but chances were very good that it had something to do with a certain silver-haired someone. He paused for a moment when the grumbling stopped. Unfortunately it started right up again, but a little louder this time. Kohaku stifled a laugh at the words that drifted back to him over the breeze. "Stupid chicken…"
Due to the untimely escape of Miroku's 'gift' yesterday, the boys had been sent out to hunt for some meat. Dinner last night had been depressingly vegetarian – Inuyasha had refused to even taste the stuff. Kohaku couldn't really blame him…the bland concoction hadn't really been to anyone's liking. And so it was that after a somewhat rushed breakfast, Shippo and Kohaku had headed out into Inuyasha's forest to replace the missing chicken with something more substantial. Kohaku sighed as his stomach growled, reminding him of his need for food. 'As Shippo said, 'stupid chicken'…'
That feather-brained fowl nearly got him killed. He still couldn't believe that he'd netted Inuyasha like that!
The boys had been hunting for nearly three hours. A quick check confirmed his suspicions – the noise Shippo was making had scared off any good game. He stopped walking and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey Shippo! Stop for a bit – I'm tired!" Shippo turned, then made his way back to his 'weary' (and hungry) companion. His grumbling began yet again.
"Weak human, tired so easily…" Kohaku had to stop himself from grinning.
'If only he knew how much he sounds like Inuyasha right now.' The boy studiously kept his thoughts to himself. At this point in time, comparing his kitsune friend to the inuhanyou would probably get him a good serve of "Kitsune-bi!" Kohaku had no desire to be cooked, and so he kept quiet. Still, his train of thought just wouldn't behave itself today. "Where do you suppose Inuyasha-sama is?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Slightly horrified, he glanced cautiously at Shippo. To his surprise, the expected anger was nowhere to be seen. The kitsune merely shrugged. "I don't know – probably out looking for shards, like always." Kohaku scratched his head at that.
"But I thought Kagome-sama had all of the shards except for the ones the wolf youkai has?" Shippo simply plopped down on the ground beside him.
"Then I have no idea. Why do you want to know, anyway?"
"Er – well, I thought, seeing as you're so mad at him, that you'd want to keep out of his way for a while. So, if we knew where he was, we could avoid him. You see?" To his bemusement, Shippo huffed a little, shifted around on the ground uncomfortably, then sprang to his feet and began pacing.
"Really…I'm not that mad at him." Kohaku's jaw dropped.
"I could have sworn you hated him, the way you've been acting!" Shippo frowned.
"Really?" At the boy's nod, he grimaced. "Huh. Didn't know that was what it seemed like. True, I'm mad at him, really mad that he let Kagome be taken away – but I don't hate him." He stopped pacing and seemed to think for a minute. "Do you suppose Inuyasha knows that I don't hate him?"
"Umm…no."
"Oh." A look of concern crossed the kitsune's face, then vanished as he picked up a welcome scent. "Deer! C'mon, hunter-boy, let's go!" Deer meat…Kohaku's stomach rumbled in anticipation.
Dinner would be good that night.
Inuyasha perched on the branch of the tree he was hiding in and peered through the leaves at the village just beyond. He hadn't been able to stay any longer in Kaede's village for a number of reasons. One, no one there was particularly happy with him at the moment and two, everything there reminded him sharply of Kagome. Unable to take it any more, he had raced off into the forest and simply kept running. By the time he began to tire he had reached a neighbouring settlement some distance from where he had started.
He told himself that it was sheer coincidence that this village was much closer to Kouga's tribe. 'Of course.'
The word 'Shikon' shook him out of the reverie that he had inadvertently fallen into. Among other things, this village had been useful to him in the past for gathering shard rumours. It helped that most of these villagers were shameless gossips. He trained one ear on the group of people standing around and listened.
"You know those Shikon shards?"
"Yes, the ones that increase a youkai's strength?"
"That's them. I think I saw a youkai with a shard in it just the other day!"
'Huh?' Inuyasha thought in alarm. 'Kagome said that we had them all except for – '
"A wolf that moved even faster than the wind itself!" the villager rambled on. Inuyasha scowled and left noiselessly, leaving the humans to their inane babble.
'Kouga again!' he thought darkly. 'I am so sick of hearing about that wimpy wolf!' Lost in his gloomy musings, he kept wandering in no particular direction. All of a sudden he realised that his feet had taken him much closer to Kouga's position than he had originally thought. His immediate instinct was flight. 'If that wolf somehow finds out that I'm this close, he'll try and stop Kagome from coming back!' was his first panicked thought. True, he would have loved to try and sneak closer and catch a glimpse of Kagome if possible, but the risk of losing her was too great. With that in mind he turned to leave, but then a terrifyingly familiar stench reached his senses. "Naraku?!"
Inuyasha was torn. On the one hand he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and start fighting. However, past experience told him that such a reckless course of action would only result in him spending time recovering in Kaede's hut. There was no way around it – he needed the others for this. He simply had to hope that Kouga's tribe would manage to keep Kagome out of this. Sending out a silent plea to anyone who was listening to keep his love safe, he tore off in the direction of Kaede's village.
Hunger had forced the workers to call a halt to the building effort, allowing Miroku to partake of his favourite activity – Sango-watching. The boys had returned from their successful hunt with a good-sized deer, and Sango had been helping Kaede prepare the meat for that evening's meal. Earlier the houshi had been clambering about on rooftops with the other men (being understandably cautious of hammers all the while) and generally helping out. But now, seeing as how all of the builders were resting, he had the opportunity to simply sit and gaze at her while trying not to be too obvious about it. He hid a grin with one hand as Sango looked up at him, startled, and started blushing lightly. 'Whoops, she caught me. But then, she shouldn't complain, ne? After all, I am looking at her and not the other women of the village…'
'He's doing it again,' Sango groaned inwardly as she went about salting the meat. 'Looking, looking, always looking! Doesn't he have anything better to do?' She glanced over at Kaede to see if she had noticed Miroku's actions – the old woman was carefully maintaining an uninterested expression, but Sango could tell that Kaede was amused at the situation. 'He's embarrassing me! I guess he hasn't really changed all that much after all.'
Her thoughts cut off abruptly as Miroku rose from his place on the ground and walked over to her. He stretched one hand out to her in an invitation. "I'm sure you're tired of doing such boring work, my dear Sango. Let's find somewhere a little more comfortable to relax." Sango was slightly wary of the way he had worded the proposition.
'He wants me to go with him alone and relax? Out of sight? Sorry hentai, not happening.' Rather than simply accepting, she replied, "We can just go for a walk around the village, Miroku. If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to this as soon as possible." She watched his face for any obvious signs of disappointment, surprised not to find any. He seemed perfectly happy to do whatever she suggested, which she found somewhat odd.
Miroku casually laid one arm across Sango's shoulders as they walked, revelling in the feel of her clothing under his fingertips. This closeness was still rather new, and he couldn't get enough of it. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of last night's intended dinner. He narrowed his eyes at the chicken as it scratched at the ground close by. It was taunting him, he knew it! 'That old man gave you to me, and you're mine just as soon as I catch you!' he promised silently. Seeming to sense his hostility, the fortunate fowl fluffed its wings and ambled away to find a better place to be annoying. Miroku twisted to look at it leave, not realising what the result of such a movement would be. His arm, pulled free by his sudden motion, slipped down to the most convenient resting-place. When he felt Sango stiffen, he knew that he had accidentally crossed the line. He cringed, waiting for the blow that was sure to come.
Somehow, Sango couldn't summon up the energy to be furious at him. She was just so tired of this mess. He had just proved to her, beyond any doubt, that he had not changed in the slightest. He was still a hentai masquerading as a houshi, and he saw her no differently than any other village girl he had made a move on. A tear slipped down her cheek but she didn't notice. Miroku, on the other hand, did notice. He was horrified at his unintentional actions, and even more so at the sight of Sango crying because of him. 'Not that it wouldn't be the first time, idiot,' he berated himself. Her soft voice broke him out of his thoughts in a rush.
"I have to get back to work, Houshi-sama." She slipped away from him and turned back the way they had come. Miroku, for once, couldn't speak. 'What did she just call me? Oh, gods, this is bad…' He began to go after her, to explain, to beg if he had to, but he was knocked down by a red blur before he got very far. "Oof! I-Inuyasha?" The hanyou struggled to make his words clear while catching his breath. Miroku had never seen him so worn down before.
"Naraku…Kouga's mountain…Kagome…help!" Having blurted out the rather cryptic message, Inuyasha sank to his knees, his lungs heaving. Miroku raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Inuyasha, just how fast did you run?"
"No time to ask that," Sango stated calmly. "If Kagome is in danger, we have to go." She raised her voice to a shout. "Kohaku! Shippo! Come here – bring your weapons! Kirara!" Sango looked around and spotted the little cat. "Transform." Kirara obliged.
"Not to be a bother," Miroku broke in nervously, "but aren't we all going to be too much for Kirara to carry?"" To his dismay, Sango just cocked her head at him in a wordless question. "Well, you, myself, Shippo, Kohaku – Kirara can't carry us all…" His voice trailed off uncertainly. Sango shook her head.
"Who said anything about you riding on Kirara? You'll be riding on Inuyasha to save time and space."
"WHAT?!" two voices roared out. Startled, Inuyasha and Miroku looked at one another. Inuyasha was the first to speak. "There is no way I'm carrying that overfed houshi anywhere!"
"I must agree with Inuyasha – except for that 'overfed' comment, of course – no way! He normally carries Kagome-sama, and I am heavier than she is. I will just slow him down."
"Hey! Are you saying I'm too weak to carry you, bouzu?"
"…maybe."
"Argh!"
Sango interrupted the growing argument quickly. "Inuyasha, if you want to get to Kagome-chan as quickly as possible, then you must carry Houshi-sama. Understand?" Inuyasha gaped at the word 'Houshi-sama', then collected his wits again.
"Fine," he growled. "But it's just for Kagome, right bouzu? Don't think this will become a habit or anything, you're lazy enough as it is!" Miroku looked at him, aghast. How had this originally peaceful day gotten so out of control? Finally admitting defeat, he gathered up his robes and climbed onto Inuyasha's back…just in time for Kohaku and Shippo to see him as they arrived. He groaned inwardly. 'That's it – my humiliation for the day is complete. Can I go home now?'
"Miroku?!" Shippo squeaked incredulously. "Oh, this is fantastic! I wish we had one of those ka-ma-rah things Kagome is always talking about!" Inuyasha growled and took a half-hearted swipe at the teasing kitsune, nearly unseating Miroku in the process.
"Whoa! Cut it out, Inuyasha, this isn't as easy as it looks!" Miroku latched onto Inuyasha's neck in a deathgrip, frantically trying not to take a tumble. Some choking and gagging later, he managed to ease up a little. Inuyasha twisted his head around to glare at his unwelcome passenger. "Kagome wouldn't have fallen off, numbskull!"
"Well, she's had more practice!"
Sango cleared her throat to get the males' attention. " If you're quite ready, like we are," she gestured to the line of people on Kirara's back, "then we should go." Inuyasha nodded and took off like a shot, bearing the sounds of Miroku's complaints into the distance. Kohaku looked down at Miroku's shakujou that he had picked up in his dash from the village. "I'll just hold onto this, then?"
Kagome and Mizumi were lounging around in the warm sunlight when Kouga raced up to them, his eyes wide with urgency. "Kagome! Naraku is attacking the tribe! I have to get you somewhere safe, come on!" He scooped her up in his arms and ran, Mizumi not far behind.
Kouga sprinted towards the caves, taking a back entrance that Kagome hadn't known about. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the sudden darkness, she squinted to see who was inside with her.
Cubs. She was in with the cubs?
"You'll be safe in here," Kouga was saying, oblivious to the girl's mounting indignation. "I'll come and get you when the fighting is done." Kagome held up a hand to get his attention.
"Where is Mizumi going then?"
"She'll fight, with the other females."
"Excuse me? If all the other females are fighting, then why am I hiding in the nursery?"
"Kagome!" he snapped in exasperation. "Look!" He grabbed her hand and held it up in front of her eyes. "No claws!" He jabbed a finger at her mouth. "No fangs! You have no weapons with you, you'll just get hurt out there!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" She flung an arm out at him and 'stung' him, making him jump away from the sudden pain of miko energy touching him. "I'm not made of glass, you know! Now get out of my way. That's Naraku out there, and there's no way you're going to stop me from fighting him!" She shoved her way past the stunned wolf youkai and stormed out of the cave. "Mizumi!" she yelled, straining to be heard over the howls of attacking youkai, "get the wolves away from the puppet! They have to be clear of the fighting!"
"Why?" Mizumi asked in confusion.
"Just do it!" Kagome snapped, closing her eyes in concentration. She smiled grimly as the sounds of confused retreat met her ears. Clenching her teeth, she unleashed her power and waited.
Silence.
She looked up to see Naraku's puppet still launching miasma attacks at the tribe – only to have them dissipate against a barrier of energy. All of his henchmen who had been caught within the radius of the barrier had been completely vapourised. "Well, now I see why you wanted us clear," Mizumi whispered, awestruck. Kouga came to stand beside her, his mouth open in astonishment. His expression melted from confusion, to awe, to growing glee. "Kagome, how long can you keep this up?"
"As long as it takes for him to realise that he can't get through like this," she muttered at him, still concentrating. Kouga let out a delighted laugh and grinned at her. His cheer was contagious; Kagome could feel herself beginning to smile in return. Suddenly a movement off to the side caught her attention. "Inuyasha?!"
The barrier wavered.
Inuyasha would never forget the scene that met his horrified eyes as he burst out from the surrounding forest. He was right at the doorstep of Kouga's tribe – and apparently that had been Naraku's destination all along. The sight of the puppet raining miasma down on the defending tribe set his blood boiling…and then the sight of Kagome stepping out into the open chilled that same blood to freezing. He hastily dumped his burden onto the ground, not waiting to hear any complaints. But just as he was about to race forwards, a pulse of energy stole his breath away. Before him, an immense wall of power rose up, shielding the tribe from attack. One glance at Kagome's tightly shut eyes told him who had formed it.
"Kagome!" he called, knowing all the while she couldn't hear him. Waiting for an opening, he watched as she opened her eyes to view her handiwork. Kouga and a wolf he didn't know were standing beside her. Snarling, he drew Tetsusaiga and prepared to join the fray. To his shock, Kagome called out his name as he moved – and the barrier she was sustaining lost a little strength. "She's losing her concentration," Miroku said behind him.
"I can see that!" Inuyasha shouted furiously. "Time to finish this – Kaze no Kizu!" The attack ripped through the ranks of youkai assaulting the barrier, causing Naraku's forces and wolf youkai alike to look around in surprise. He dimly heard Sango and the others arrive in the background, but he paid no attention to that. He had only one thing on his mind.
"Kagome!" he called desperately. "Don't let it fall! Keep concentrating!" He swung fiercely at a snake youkai and looked up at her. "Kagome!" To his relief she glanced at him and nodded in determination. He felt the barrier pick up in strength and hid a sigh of relief.
Naraku's puppet obviously knew when the odds were against it – no one saw it vanish in the middle of the fighting. Before long the group of fighters were chasing the remaining youkai into the forest, and away from the tribe. Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and leapt up the rock face to where Kagome was standing. Shaking with the effort, she lowered the barrier and flung herself into his arms.
"Inuyasha, I can't believe you came – "
"I smelt Naraku from way off…nearly had a heart attack getting back…"
"Are you alright? The others, too?"
"Yeah, but something's up with Miroku and Sango, she's acting weird."
"Really? I'll have to talk to her about it – "
Inuyasha cut her off with a desperate kiss, finally allowing himself to do what he had wanted as soon as he saw her again. He smiled as he felt her stiffen in surprise, then melt into his embrace as though she belonged there. Which, in his opinion, she did. When the need for air forced them apart, he looked down at her longingly. "Come back with me." She glanced downwards sadly.
"If I do, then Kouga-kun won't hand over the two shards we need. You know that," she reminded him softly. His temper spiked.
"I don't care! He can keep the rotten things as far as I'm concerned, just come home with me!" He watched in disbelief as she stepped back from him, shaking her head in denial. Kouga, he was pleased to note, looked as though he would like to tear Inuyasha limb from limb. "Inukkoro, get your filthy hands off of my woman!"
"Make me! Anyway, I didn't do it, she came to me! So, how do you like that, wolf?"
"The joke's on you, puppy – you just broke the conditions of the deal, and now you don't get her back!"
"WHAT?! I ought to kill you – "
"Enough!" Kagome yelled over the top of them. "Kouga-kun, seeing as how they only came because of Naraku, I think the deal still stands. Don't you?" she smiled too-sweetly at him. Eventually he relented, nodding in agreement. "Inuyasha, we have fought too long and hard for the shards to give up now, and I don't want to see you and Kouga-kun fighting each other over them again. So I'm staying." She waved to Sango, Miroku, Kohaku and Shippo, then whirled around and grabbed Mizumi's hand, dragging her into the cave. As soon as they were out of sight of the others Kagome slumped against the wall, trembling. "Kagome? Are you alright?" Mizumi asked worriedly.
"Sure, I'll be fine. Just need some sleep…" The exhausted girl slid down the wall and passed out on the floor of the cave. Mizumi cried out in consternation and picked the fallen miko up. Her cry brought Kouga running from outside to see what was the matter. "Kagome?"
"She over-exerted herself, I think. She should be fine later after a long sleep," Mizumi reassured him. Kouga nodded and watched as Mizumi lowered Kagome onto her bedding. He remained at her bedside long into the night.
Ha! Told you the chicken would be back. I won't drop any more hints, or I'll spoil the story for next time. Sufficient to say, all our boys are in trouble with their girls, aren't they? Ooh…
Next Chapter: Deadly Weakness
Reviewer replies from Chapter 4: New Possibilities: (Waaai! Can't believe there are so many!)
ShadowHeart: That chicken idea really would be a scream, wouldn't it? Well, the chicken is kind of a minor role right now…annoyance value for Miroku, really. Yes, Kouga's nice. He can be stupid, as we have seen (and will see) but I don't think he's bad as such. Just misunderstood. And yes, Inuyasha is not a happy boy!
Aamalie: I have trouble bowing too – get horribly off balance! J/k. I will go and check out Splintered Coral just after I've done this, promise!
Mvdiva: You're back! Yay! Thanks for reviewing all four chapters…that's dedication for you! I haven't quite made my mind up about Kagura yet either – she doesn't figure very heavily in this story…
Lady Tiger Lily: Hey, you reviewed my reviews! (If that makes sense). In brief…Shippo is cool, because I said so XD, the chicken Alternate Ending is in the works, don't know if I'll write it though, Kouga is nice, Mizumi rocks, thanks for the comment on the vocab I use! Phew! See you next time!
Foxywolf: A lot of people want Kag and Kouga to end up together right now. Hmm…could this be a hint?
Sango-to-Miroku: Yes, the hammer bit had me laughing as I wrote it. And it wasn't even planned! And who could resist a Miroku who was purposely playing the romantic fool? Not me!
Poohsbestfriend: The plot is thickening right about now, promise. Glad you like the chicken. And my spelling – I'm quite proud of it (I minored in English at University, so I'd better be able to spell!)
Momentum: Oh, yes, the deeper plot is coming – next chapter, actually. Mwa ha haha. I am evil. This chapter didn't run away with me quite so much this time.
Chocochocobunny1: Kissing? Who said anything about kissing – yet… *Gags* this people choking me business is getting old…
BlahblahHOBO: Interesting name you've got there. As for 'is Kagome really falling for Kouga?' the answer would have to be – she doesn't know yet. This story has a looong way to go.
FairyAngel24: … ^_^
Miztikal-Dragon: I'm writing as often as I can, hope you don't mind the wait though – I write as I go, the chapters aren't pre-written…
EEevee: Most people write him as obnoxious, and he can be a bit dense, but now he has Mizumi to help him! And now Miroku is in even deeper…oh dear, what have I done?
Stripe: The village scene was funny, I must admit. A bit of comic relief.
Akaro: Glad you still like it, and this is an I/K fic, trust me! And Ayame does not appear in this story, sorry.
Madeline Gott: Sheesh, I'm going as fast as I can! ^_^
Murasaki-Kitsune: Oh, hey, do you even know how busy I am? Sorry a week is the minimum time between updates at the moment. Hope this one wasn't too cliffhanger-ish for you.
Breremarer: Better than the first one? Yikes! Thank you!
The Most Holy Mango: You're confuzzled? Heh, join everyone else. I am confusing everybody these days!
Amanda: Yes, Kouga is finally getting the break he deserves. Hooray!
Jessica T It's Me: Holy cow…I guess I'm really going to have to work at making people want Kagome to end up with Inuyasha again, aren't I? Too many people like him now! MORE FLUFF? Agh – this fluff is hard enough to write! And it can't be too fluffy – this story is just getting 'interesting', so things will be going wrong-er soon. Don't they always? It's called 'plot'. ^_^
GMGirl: I'm very glad you like it, and I'm glad that there are actually some fics that don't have Kouga as the bad guy. Sooo unfair…
A/N: Hey guys, from now on, if you want a reply written, the review has to be either really long or address something in particular about the story. There's just too many of you now! Sorry.
Before I forget – MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!! God bless, and see you all in 2004.