Author's Note:: There is mention of rape in this chapter. (yeah, I can do that, its rated R) If it bothers you, skip over it, please. I don't mean to offend anyone, and that's not my intent. Sorry, gotta CMA.
Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Nine :: Revenge
Chapter Thirty-Six :: Broken Family
Kagura scrutinized carefully her reflection in the pool of clear water. She had bathed and donned her new dress earlier and now studied herself with great consideration, making sure she was presentable.
The dress was a garment made for royalty, surely; a three layer dress of the finest silks available. The first one was a dark green-blue color which only served to make her fair complexion all the more noticeable. The second dress was of a magenta silk she'd never seen or felt before, the sleeves delicately embroidered with gold leaves and vines. And the top dress was a simple white one, with long, blocky blue-violet stripes breaking the white canvas.
It fit her perfectly, hanging gracefully off her slim arms and shoulders and hugging her hips regally. The skin of her arms and face and throat were a pretty, fair color, clear and unblemished. You could hardly tell that underneath her dress she bore ugly scars of a battle she could not remember.
Her long black hair hung past her shoulders, smooth and shiny now that it had been cleaned and brushed. But she hated the length; it bothered her neck and made her head feel heavy.
Somehow she hated feeling restricted. She wanted to be free. She enjoyed the freedom to choose what she wanted, be who she was.
She sneered grumpily at her reflection, trying another hairstyle and finding it just as long and ugly and confining at the last. She tore the pins out of her hair angrily and threw them into the lake.
"Having trouble?" asked a monotone voice and Kagura turned to her "younger sister." Kanna looked bland and expressionless as always. "I hate my hair," Kagura complained, lifting up a shock of the long black strands for show. "It's ugly."
Kanna walked towards her and set down her mirror before standing behind her sister quietly. Kagura sat silently and watched her reflection as Kanna pulled the long, thick mess into a knot on the top of her head and tied it off, a regal, beautiful fringe of it bobbing at the back.
"Is this better?"
Kagura was silent for a moment before pulling down the knot and shaking her hair out. "No. I don't like that style."
"You used to wear it all the time."
"Well I don't like it now!!" she yelled, and for a moment Kanna actually looked startled. Kagura's shoulders dropped in defeat. "I'm sorry, Kanna. I forget myself." She looked down at her reflection.
Her pointed ears, the blood red eyes tinged with dusky red shadows over her eyelids. The paleness of her skin wasn't human. But she couldn't remember who she was, if she'd been like this at birth, or if someone had changed her into this.
She reached out as if to try and recapture her past through her reflection. "I've forgotten everything now… who I am… what I am… I don't know what I used to like or not like... Who I hated... or who I used to love…" She touched the water gently, symbolically breaking the image.
She sagged, eyes downcast. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a dagger at her side, and she frowned at it as an idea sparked in her mind. She took it up quickly, and taking one hunk of hair into her hand, she put the blade to it and tore at it.
Kanna watched, motionless, expressionless, as Kagura cut her hair messily. Long, thick portions of it gathered at her back, piling up on her feet, but Kagura did not stop until all her hair was cut.
She dropped the blade and leaned over the water. Her hair was a little past her ears, and because it had been so wavy, now stuck out in curled wisps at her earlobes and around the nape of her neck. It was longer in some places than others, very uneven and not at all beautiful. If anything it was unkempt and wild.
She smiled at her reflection, satisfied with it, and then turned to the white little girl, features hopeful. "Kanna… even if I'm not who I used to be, you'll still stay by me, won't you?"
Kanna's brow furrowed as she nodded. Kagura happily settled herself back to combing out her hair and cleaning up the mess she'd made. Kanna wandered over to a log and sat quietly.
Kagura had changed. She was no longer the bitter woman who longed to be free from their master, Naraku. The woman who had betrayed him and been struck down by Kouga, the wolf-demon. Kanna had thought Kagura was dead after Naraku had delivered the final blow to her those few months ago.
But she had found her body trapped underneath the rubble of their former castle, broken and bleeding. She had hidden in a cave far away from it, so as to hide from Kouga and Inuyasha's group. Slowly she nursed her younger sister back to health. And Kagura had awoken with no memory of their life together. Their life as minions of Naraku.
Slightly confused, the white youkai wondered if this is the sort of person Kagura was meant to have been. A wild, hopeful, almost cheerful young woman. The polar opposite of bitter, sadistic and cynical. Kagura was none of those things anymore.
And for a moment, and only a moment, Kanna felt the most minute flicker of guilt at tricking her younger sister into reviving the one person she hated most.
~*~
"Let me go!!"
Kagome wriggled, trying to get a good look at her surroundings while at the same time violently kicking her legs and pounding on his back in an attempt to get the youkai-wolf to drop her. It was difficult; he was holding her firmly by her knees and she was couldn't exactly push herself up and off his shoulders.
When volume didn't work, she tried for intensity. "You asshole, put me DOWN!!"
Genrou slowed down suddenly and Kagome twisted, looked up and over his other shoulder. They were walking to a large home, not nearly as large as the palaces in the Sengoku Jidai, but a large house in terms of a villager's home.
Genrou shoved open the door and trudged in, his swagger like that of someone bringing back a prize. Three youkai women, half-dressed, were in the home. One of them was cooking, a second was doing her hair and the last was in the corner, examining her nails.
"Genrou-sama!" the cook cried and he grinned. "Hey girls."
The nails-girl jumped up and walked around, examining Kagome's body. "Genrou-sama, is this a new girl?"
"She's a little sloppy for your tastes, isn't she milord?" asked hair-girl, "I mean, she doesn't look too much older than my little sister." Abruptly Kagome felt a hand on her butt. One of the girls lightly squeezed her rear and Kagome fumed. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!"
"Got a mouth on her though," she said, hardly skipping a beat.
"This one's not for play," Genrou told them, belatedly Kagome thought. "She's bait."
There was a fourth voice then. "For Kouga?"
They all looked up. The most beautiful of the women, this one fully dressed, stood in the doorway. One hand was on her stomach which, Kagome noticed, looked a little swollen underneath her kimono. Genrou smirked. "Yeah. Just like you were, Mika."
Mika's eyes glittered dangerously and her young face twisted in disgust. "You fucking revolt me, Genrou."
Genrou set Kagome down and thrust her towards Mika. The young miko stumbled and fell, glaring back at Genrou and the three women. Genrou's eyes narrowed at her. "You stay with Mika. When Kouga and that kusoyaken come for you, I'll tear them to bits and steal Kouga's shards."
Kagome watched, seething as he walked away, the three woman under his arms, and when she turned back she was surprised to see Mika standing in front of her, hand outstretched. "Give me your hand," she said softly and Kagome accepted, pulling herself up.
Mika turned and led her towards her room, which was actually rather large and well furnished for a prisoner. Kagome looked nervously at the young youkai woman.
Mika held herself up proudly and regally, but there was a weary sadness in her eyes. She caught Kagome staring and she smiled. "It is odd that a prisoner keeps such beautiful accommodations, yes?"
"A little..." Mika nodded at Kagome's admittance. "I have this beautiful room, these clean sheets... I am fed well and I am allowed to bathe regularly in warm water. All because that bastard Genrou is in love with me." She shook her head. "The sick asshole..."
"Mika-san... how did you know I was bait for Kouga-kun...? You know him?"
Mika sat on her bed, arranging her kimono around herself. "I do. He's my pack brother." Kagome nodded, remembering about that title. It was important.
Which meant that Mika too was important to Kouga. Kagome frowned, confused. "Who is this Genrou guy?? Kouga-kun told me they were pack brothers... but Genrou attacked him...."
Mika looked up at her, eyeing her carefully. She didn't seem put off, or even murderous. Just curious of the young human girl who knelt on the floor before her. "Who are you? A mere human wouldn't know of Kouga."
"My name's Kagome. I'm... I guard the Shikon no Tama."
Mika nodded, eyes widening then. "A miko. A very important one at that. I suppose then you were drawn to Genrou because of his shards?"
"Yes, myself and my companions..." Kagome's heart skipped a beat at the thought of Inuyasha. She shook herself from it and looked at Mika. "Why are Genrou and Kouga-kun fighting?"
Mika cast her eyes down and sighed heavily. "I'll tell you the story. It starts, honestly, almost 70 years ago..."
~*~
"You fucking wolf, this is all your fault, you know! If you hadn't brought that STUPID wolf to Kagome, she wouldn't be missing right now!!"
Miroku sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache. Sango walked at his side, looking almost as exasperated as him, except she was constantly turning to look behind her at Inuyasha and Kouga, who were arguing as usual.
The injured wolf was riding on Kirara's back and Inuyasha walked at his side, yelling at him. Ahead of Miroku and Sango, the kits rode on Kohaku's shoulder, and the kids kept stopping also to watch the spectacle. Ginta and Hakakku, who had caught up with Kouga shortly after the battle, trailed behind Kirara, looking on helplessly as the two young youkai bickered.
Kouga cursed. "At least you pointed that out, dog breath! I brought him to HER! You're a useless pack-mule, the only reason she keeps you around is so you can carry her like the mutt you are!"
Miroku's eyes narrowed to little slits. "Those two have been at it for over an hour," he said aloud to the others, and Sango shook her head in exasperation. "They don't even realize we're going in circles."
The two hadn't heard a single word. "I'm useless!?!" Inuyasha bristled, baring his teeth, "What about you, wimpy wolf? How many times have you come running to me when you can't fight your own battles?! Gokurakuchou, Juuroumaru, the Shichinintai, Kagura; who knows how many times with just that bitch alone!"
Kouga's upper lip curled in revulsion. "As if!! I don't need you to fight my battles!! As is, you still need humans to help you, half-breed!! I don't see how my Kagome can stand being around such a pathetic worthless lowlife as long as she has!! Just your stink makes me want to heave, having to stay with you like she does would drive me insane!"
"Uhm, guys?" Sango tried.
"Just being near you *this* long does the same thing to me, bastard!"
"Say that again, you half-bred trash!"
"You two, stop it already," Miroku said, a little louder.
"Shit for brains!" Inuyasha roared.
"Moron!" bellowed Kouga.
"Kouga..." Ginta attempted.
"You wanna go?!"
"MY PLEASURE!"
Suddenly a little auburn fluff shoved her way between them. "CUT IT THE HELL OUT!!" Tanpopo trilled, looking back and forth between them. The two teenagers looked down at her in surprise.
Tanpopo's face twisted in anguish, her little body quaking. Tears had gathered in the corners of her icy blue eyes. She glared furiously at Inuyasha. "Shut up! Just stop it!!! Kagome-san was kidnapped and Tama-san ran away and all you two can do is argue!!!"
Inuyasha's shoulders slumped, his face shameful, but Kouga just looked put out. Tanpopo turned her glare on him now, sniffling. "We don't have time for this and if you guys are gonna waste time then GO AWAY! Leave this to people who CARE!!!"
The wolf succumbed the baby's fox's outburst, glaring down at her. "Listen here runt, I care! Kagome is my woman, and I'm gonna save her!!"
Inuyasha growled at that, a rumble quickly escalating into a snarl, but before he had the chance to retaliate, Miroku stepped forward. "Kouga, in order to find Kagome we must know more about Genrou. You said before you used to be friends."
"Used to be is a good way to put it." the wolf replied.
Sango narrowed her eyes as she too came up to them. "What kind of person is he? We should know."
Kouga looked drone. "Ruthless. A liar and a cheat. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. That's why Mika-chan..."
"Mika?" they all repeated and Kouga looked irked, shutting his mouth. Kohaku looked up at the wolf. "Who's Mika?"
"C'mon, wimpy wolf, don't back out on us now. Let's hear it." Inuyasha ordered and Kouga glared at him. Then he turned, glancing at his two comrades, and the two, looking wearied, nodded vaguely. Kouga sighed.
"Some 70 or something years ago the Great Lord, Inutaisho, ruled over most of this country. The western lands were his. The southernmost were ruled over by wolves as was the north-eastern, which is my father's territory." Kouga sat back on Kirara's back, crossing his arms.
"The southern wolves were led by a guy named Haruroumaru. This Haruroumaru dipshit coveted Inutaisho's woman, some idiot human girl named Chiharu." At this Inuyasha growled lowly, his eyes centered on Kouga. "Careful, wolf, you're talking about my mother."
Kouga rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Inutaisho killed Haruroumaru eventually and Haru sent his son Genrou to his northern cousins, which is how me and Genrou became friends: we grew up together. Mika was in my clan; she was the daughter of my father's #2..."
"My father had died when I was very young," Mika continued her story. Kagome sat in front of her, eyes trained on the dark haired wolf-youkai, ears absorbing every detail of the story. Mika smirked.
"Kouga's father was the leader of the pack and Kouga and Genrou were the two toughest out of the pups. As we all grew up, Genrou and Kouga became the only two members who were even close to becoming next leader. When it came time to pick one, the boss sent them on a mission, and whoever came out on top would be next boss. Only problem was, Genrou was determined to win, no matter what..."
Kouga tested his wounded arm carefully and then looked back up at them, getting off Kirara. "Genrou cheated me out, used an herb to weaken my senses and my skills so he could beat me. My father recognized the scent on my breath and proclaimed Genrou a traitor before naming me boss. My first order of business once I was in that position was get rid of the son of a bitch."
"So Genrou had a vendetta against you for throwing him out?" Sango asked and Kouga looked down. "I was angry with him for betraying me. I'm ashamed of it now, cause if it weren't for me, Mika..." He shook his head. "Anyway, I didn't just kick him out, I beat the shit out of him. Those scars on his body are from me. It takes alot to scar a youkai, and I employed every physical torture on him I could think of..."
"And he's been after Kouga ever since, for revenge." Mika told Kagome, and the miko looked confused. "How do you fit into the picture?"
Mika smirked sadly. "Genrou's been in love with me ever since the moment he met me. I've never liked him though, and he knew it. It's been a couple decades since he was exiled from the group. Five months ago, my intended and I were going to get married. But on the night of my wedding, Genrou kidnapped me... and called out Kouga."
"Me, Hakakku and Ginta went to save her. I'd never seen a woman so bad off before. Genrou'd beat her, almost as bad as I'd beat him," Kouga said, his face twisting in anger as he recalled the event. "Anyway we were gonna fight, try and get her back... but Mika told us to leave."
"Mika-san, why?!!" Kagome demanded, eyes wide in horror. "If your husband had come to get you, and you wanted to go back home so badly, why did you make them leave?!"
Mika's shoulders were trembling. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I didn't want them to know. I couldn't face him after that... I didn't want him to know..."
Kagome swallowed nervously. "Know what?"
Mika looked up. Streams of tears ran down her face. "Genrou didn't just beat me. He defiled me. I betrayed my husband, my mate, with that... creature! It would've broken his heart if he'd known... I couldn't let him... find out..."
Kagome watched her, her heart going out to her. The miko lowered her voice. "Mika-san... you're pregnant, aren't you?" Hearing it said aloud, Mika could only nod. Kagome sighed and sat down on the bed. Mika's sobs grew louder as she lowered her face to Kagome's lap and wept. Kagome closed her eyes, stroking Mika's hair softly.
She was in a bad situation. Didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that. Genrou was using her as bait to lure Inuyasha and Kouga here, and Mika was in danger here too.
She was afraid. When Kouga had kidnapped her, she had been scared, but with this monster, she was terrified. Genrou would kill her if he saw fit. He had violated Mika without a second thought. He could kill Inuyasha and Kouga and not even feel an ounce of remorse.
Kagome sighed slightly when she thought of Inuyasha. She almost didn't want him to come for her. He was without Tessaiga, and unless she could find a way to purify and remove some of Genrou's shards, he was the weaker and slower one.
She looked out the window of her borrowed bedroom. *Stay away, Inuyasha. Please, please don't come yet…*
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Okay, I will update again next week. Having fun stewing and hating me till then! v^^;;;;;;;; lol Sorry Tama fans, the dog-eared wenchlet will make an appearance soon~ Please review!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Nine :: Revenge
Chapter Thirty-Six :: Broken Family
Kagura scrutinized carefully her reflection in the pool of clear water. She had bathed and donned her new dress earlier and now studied herself with great consideration, making sure she was presentable.
The dress was a garment made for royalty, surely; a three layer dress of the finest silks available. The first one was a dark green-blue color which only served to make her fair complexion all the more noticeable. The second dress was of a magenta silk she'd never seen or felt before, the sleeves delicately embroidered with gold leaves and vines. And the top dress was a simple white one, with long, blocky blue-violet stripes breaking the white canvas.
It fit her perfectly, hanging gracefully off her slim arms and shoulders and hugging her hips regally. The skin of her arms and face and throat were a pretty, fair color, clear and unblemished. You could hardly tell that underneath her dress she bore ugly scars of a battle she could not remember.
Her long black hair hung past her shoulders, smooth and shiny now that it had been cleaned and brushed. But she hated the length; it bothered her neck and made her head feel heavy.
Somehow she hated feeling restricted. She wanted to be free. She enjoyed the freedom to choose what she wanted, be who she was.
She sneered grumpily at her reflection, trying another hairstyle and finding it just as long and ugly and confining at the last. She tore the pins out of her hair angrily and threw them into the lake.
"Having trouble?" asked a monotone voice and Kagura turned to her "younger sister." Kanna looked bland and expressionless as always. "I hate my hair," Kagura complained, lifting up a shock of the long black strands for show. "It's ugly."
Kanna walked towards her and set down her mirror before standing behind her sister quietly. Kagura sat silently and watched her reflection as Kanna pulled the long, thick mess into a knot on the top of her head and tied it off, a regal, beautiful fringe of it bobbing at the back.
"Is this better?"
Kagura was silent for a moment before pulling down the knot and shaking her hair out. "No. I don't like that style."
"You used to wear it all the time."
"Well I don't like it now!!" she yelled, and for a moment Kanna actually looked startled. Kagura's shoulders dropped in defeat. "I'm sorry, Kanna. I forget myself." She looked down at her reflection.
Her pointed ears, the blood red eyes tinged with dusky red shadows over her eyelids. The paleness of her skin wasn't human. But she couldn't remember who she was, if she'd been like this at birth, or if someone had changed her into this.
She reached out as if to try and recapture her past through her reflection. "I've forgotten everything now… who I am… what I am… I don't know what I used to like or not like... Who I hated... or who I used to love…" She touched the water gently, symbolically breaking the image.
She sagged, eyes downcast. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a dagger at her side, and she frowned at it as an idea sparked in her mind. She took it up quickly, and taking one hunk of hair into her hand, she put the blade to it and tore at it.
Kanna watched, motionless, expressionless, as Kagura cut her hair messily. Long, thick portions of it gathered at her back, piling up on her feet, but Kagura did not stop until all her hair was cut.
She dropped the blade and leaned over the water. Her hair was a little past her ears, and because it had been so wavy, now stuck out in curled wisps at her earlobes and around the nape of her neck. It was longer in some places than others, very uneven and not at all beautiful. If anything it was unkempt and wild.
She smiled at her reflection, satisfied with it, and then turned to the white little girl, features hopeful. "Kanna… even if I'm not who I used to be, you'll still stay by me, won't you?"
Kanna's brow furrowed as she nodded. Kagura happily settled herself back to combing out her hair and cleaning up the mess she'd made. Kanna wandered over to a log and sat quietly.
Kagura had changed. She was no longer the bitter woman who longed to be free from their master, Naraku. The woman who had betrayed him and been struck down by Kouga, the wolf-demon. Kanna had thought Kagura was dead after Naraku had delivered the final blow to her those few months ago.
But she had found her body trapped underneath the rubble of their former castle, broken and bleeding. She had hidden in a cave far away from it, so as to hide from Kouga and Inuyasha's group. Slowly she nursed her younger sister back to health. And Kagura had awoken with no memory of their life together. Their life as minions of Naraku.
Slightly confused, the white youkai wondered if this is the sort of person Kagura was meant to have been. A wild, hopeful, almost cheerful young woman. The polar opposite of bitter, sadistic and cynical. Kagura was none of those things anymore.
And for a moment, and only a moment, Kanna felt the most minute flicker of guilt at tricking her younger sister into reviving the one person she hated most.
~*~
"Let me go!!"
Kagome wriggled, trying to get a good look at her surroundings while at the same time violently kicking her legs and pounding on his back in an attempt to get the youkai-wolf to drop her. It was difficult; he was holding her firmly by her knees and she was couldn't exactly push herself up and off his shoulders.
When volume didn't work, she tried for intensity. "You asshole, put me DOWN!!"
Genrou slowed down suddenly and Kagome twisted, looked up and over his other shoulder. They were walking to a large home, not nearly as large as the palaces in the Sengoku Jidai, but a large house in terms of a villager's home.
Genrou shoved open the door and trudged in, his swagger like that of someone bringing back a prize. Three youkai women, half-dressed, were in the home. One of them was cooking, a second was doing her hair and the last was in the corner, examining her nails.
"Genrou-sama!" the cook cried and he grinned. "Hey girls."
The nails-girl jumped up and walked around, examining Kagome's body. "Genrou-sama, is this a new girl?"
"She's a little sloppy for your tastes, isn't she milord?" asked hair-girl, "I mean, she doesn't look too much older than my little sister." Abruptly Kagome felt a hand on her butt. One of the girls lightly squeezed her rear and Kagome fumed. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!"
"Got a mouth on her though," she said, hardly skipping a beat.
"This one's not for play," Genrou told them, belatedly Kagome thought. "She's bait."
There was a fourth voice then. "For Kouga?"
They all looked up. The most beautiful of the women, this one fully dressed, stood in the doorway. One hand was on her stomach which, Kagome noticed, looked a little swollen underneath her kimono. Genrou smirked. "Yeah. Just like you were, Mika."
Mika's eyes glittered dangerously and her young face twisted in disgust. "You fucking revolt me, Genrou."
Genrou set Kagome down and thrust her towards Mika. The young miko stumbled and fell, glaring back at Genrou and the three women. Genrou's eyes narrowed at her. "You stay with Mika. When Kouga and that kusoyaken come for you, I'll tear them to bits and steal Kouga's shards."
Kagome watched, seething as he walked away, the three woman under his arms, and when she turned back she was surprised to see Mika standing in front of her, hand outstretched. "Give me your hand," she said softly and Kagome accepted, pulling herself up.
Mika turned and led her towards her room, which was actually rather large and well furnished for a prisoner. Kagome looked nervously at the young youkai woman.
Mika held herself up proudly and regally, but there was a weary sadness in her eyes. She caught Kagome staring and she smiled. "It is odd that a prisoner keeps such beautiful accommodations, yes?"
"A little..." Mika nodded at Kagome's admittance. "I have this beautiful room, these clean sheets... I am fed well and I am allowed to bathe regularly in warm water. All because that bastard Genrou is in love with me." She shook her head. "The sick asshole..."
"Mika-san... how did you know I was bait for Kouga-kun...? You know him?"
Mika sat on her bed, arranging her kimono around herself. "I do. He's my pack brother." Kagome nodded, remembering about that title. It was important.
Which meant that Mika too was important to Kouga. Kagome frowned, confused. "Who is this Genrou guy?? Kouga-kun told me they were pack brothers... but Genrou attacked him...."
Mika looked up at her, eyeing her carefully. She didn't seem put off, or even murderous. Just curious of the young human girl who knelt on the floor before her. "Who are you? A mere human wouldn't know of Kouga."
"My name's Kagome. I'm... I guard the Shikon no Tama."
Mika nodded, eyes widening then. "A miko. A very important one at that. I suppose then you were drawn to Genrou because of his shards?"
"Yes, myself and my companions..." Kagome's heart skipped a beat at the thought of Inuyasha. She shook herself from it and looked at Mika. "Why are Genrou and Kouga-kun fighting?"
Mika cast her eyes down and sighed heavily. "I'll tell you the story. It starts, honestly, almost 70 years ago..."
~*~
"You fucking wolf, this is all your fault, you know! If you hadn't brought that STUPID wolf to Kagome, she wouldn't be missing right now!!"
Miroku sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache. Sango walked at his side, looking almost as exasperated as him, except she was constantly turning to look behind her at Inuyasha and Kouga, who were arguing as usual.
The injured wolf was riding on Kirara's back and Inuyasha walked at his side, yelling at him. Ahead of Miroku and Sango, the kits rode on Kohaku's shoulder, and the kids kept stopping also to watch the spectacle. Ginta and Hakakku, who had caught up with Kouga shortly after the battle, trailed behind Kirara, looking on helplessly as the two young youkai bickered.
Kouga cursed. "At least you pointed that out, dog breath! I brought him to HER! You're a useless pack-mule, the only reason she keeps you around is so you can carry her like the mutt you are!"
Miroku's eyes narrowed to little slits. "Those two have been at it for over an hour," he said aloud to the others, and Sango shook her head in exasperation. "They don't even realize we're going in circles."
The two hadn't heard a single word. "I'm useless!?!" Inuyasha bristled, baring his teeth, "What about you, wimpy wolf? How many times have you come running to me when you can't fight your own battles?! Gokurakuchou, Juuroumaru, the Shichinintai, Kagura; who knows how many times with just that bitch alone!"
Kouga's upper lip curled in revulsion. "As if!! I don't need you to fight my battles!! As is, you still need humans to help you, half-breed!! I don't see how my Kagome can stand being around such a pathetic worthless lowlife as long as she has!! Just your stink makes me want to heave, having to stay with you like she does would drive me insane!"
"Uhm, guys?" Sango tried.
"Just being near you *this* long does the same thing to me, bastard!"
"Say that again, you half-bred trash!"
"You two, stop it already," Miroku said, a little louder.
"Shit for brains!" Inuyasha roared.
"Moron!" bellowed Kouga.
"Kouga..." Ginta attempted.
"You wanna go?!"
"MY PLEASURE!"
Suddenly a little auburn fluff shoved her way between them. "CUT IT THE HELL OUT!!" Tanpopo trilled, looking back and forth between them. The two teenagers looked down at her in surprise.
Tanpopo's face twisted in anguish, her little body quaking. Tears had gathered in the corners of her icy blue eyes. She glared furiously at Inuyasha. "Shut up! Just stop it!!! Kagome-san was kidnapped and Tama-san ran away and all you two can do is argue!!!"
Inuyasha's shoulders slumped, his face shameful, but Kouga just looked put out. Tanpopo turned her glare on him now, sniffling. "We don't have time for this and if you guys are gonna waste time then GO AWAY! Leave this to people who CARE!!!"
The wolf succumbed the baby's fox's outburst, glaring down at her. "Listen here runt, I care! Kagome is my woman, and I'm gonna save her!!"
Inuyasha growled at that, a rumble quickly escalating into a snarl, but before he had the chance to retaliate, Miroku stepped forward. "Kouga, in order to find Kagome we must know more about Genrou. You said before you used to be friends."
"Used to be is a good way to put it." the wolf replied.
Sango narrowed her eyes as she too came up to them. "What kind of person is he? We should know."
Kouga looked drone. "Ruthless. A liar and a cheat. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. That's why Mika-chan..."
"Mika?" they all repeated and Kouga looked irked, shutting his mouth. Kohaku looked up at the wolf. "Who's Mika?"
"C'mon, wimpy wolf, don't back out on us now. Let's hear it." Inuyasha ordered and Kouga glared at him. Then he turned, glancing at his two comrades, and the two, looking wearied, nodded vaguely. Kouga sighed.
"Some 70 or something years ago the Great Lord, Inutaisho, ruled over most of this country. The western lands were his. The southernmost were ruled over by wolves as was the north-eastern, which is my father's territory." Kouga sat back on Kirara's back, crossing his arms.
"The southern wolves were led by a guy named Haruroumaru. This Haruroumaru dipshit coveted Inutaisho's woman, some idiot human girl named Chiharu." At this Inuyasha growled lowly, his eyes centered on Kouga. "Careful, wolf, you're talking about my mother."
Kouga rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Inutaisho killed Haruroumaru eventually and Haru sent his son Genrou to his northern cousins, which is how me and Genrou became friends: we grew up together. Mika was in my clan; she was the daughter of my father's #2..."
"My father had died when I was very young," Mika continued her story. Kagome sat in front of her, eyes trained on the dark haired wolf-youkai, ears absorbing every detail of the story. Mika smirked.
"Kouga's father was the leader of the pack and Kouga and Genrou were the two toughest out of the pups. As we all grew up, Genrou and Kouga became the only two members who were even close to becoming next leader. When it came time to pick one, the boss sent them on a mission, and whoever came out on top would be next boss. Only problem was, Genrou was determined to win, no matter what..."
Kouga tested his wounded arm carefully and then looked back up at them, getting off Kirara. "Genrou cheated me out, used an herb to weaken my senses and my skills so he could beat me. My father recognized the scent on my breath and proclaimed Genrou a traitor before naming me boss. My first order of business once I was in that position was get rid of the son of a bitch."
"So Genrou had a vendetta against you for throwing him out?" Sango asked and Kouga looked down. "I was angry with him for betraying me. I'm ashamed of it now, cause if it weren't for me, Mika..." He shook his head. "Anyway, I didn't just kick him out, I beat the shit out of him. Those scars on his body are from me. It takes alot to scar a youkai, and I employed every physical torture on him I could think of..."
"And he's been after Kouga ever since, for revenge." Mika told Kagome, and the miko looked confused. "How do you fit into the picture?"
Mika smirked sadly. "Genrou's been in love with me ever since the moment he met me. I've never liked him though, and he knew it. It's been a couple decades since he was exiled from the group. Five months ago, my intended and I were going to get married. But on the night of my wedding, Genrou kidnapped me... and called out Kouga."
"Me, Hakakku and Ginta went to save her. I'd never seen a woman so bad off before. Genrou'd beat her, almost as bad as I'd beat him," Kouga said, his face twisting in anger as he recalled the event. "Anyway we were gonna fight, try and get her back... but Mika told us to leave."
"Mika-san, why?!!" Kagome demanded, eyes wide in horror. "If your husband had come to get you, and you wanted to go back home so badly, why did you make them leave?!"
Mika's shoulders were trembling. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I didn't want them to know. I couldn't face him after that... I didn't want him to know..."
Kagome swallowed nervously. "Know what?"
Mika looked up. Streams of tears ran down her face. "Genrou didn't just beat me. He defiled me. I betrayed my husband, my mate, with that... creature! It would've broken his heart if he'd known... I couldn't let him... find out..."
Kagome watched her, her heart going out to her. The miko lowered her voice. "Mika-san... you're pregnant, aren't you?" Hearing it said aloud, Mika could only nod. Kagome sighed and sat down on the bed. Mika's sobs grew louder as she lowered her face to Kagome's lap and wept. Kagome closed her eyes, stroking Mika's hair softly.
She was in a bad situation. Didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that. Genrou was using her as bait to lure Inuyasha and Kouga here, and Mika was in danger here too.
She was afraid. When Kouga had kidnapped her, she had been scared, but with this monster, she was terrified. Genrou would kill her if he saw fit. He had violated Mika without a second thought. He could kill Inuyasha and Kouga and not even feel an ounce of remorse.
Kagome sighed slightly when she thought of Inuyasha. She almost didn't want him to come for her. He was without Tessaiga, and unless she could find a way to purify and remove some of Genrou's shards, he was the weaker and slower one.
She looked out the window of her borrowed bedroom. *Stay away, Inuyasha. Please, please don't come yet…*
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Okay, I will update again next week. Having fun stewing and hating me till then! v^^;;;;;;;; lol Sorry Tama fans, the dog-eared wenchlet will make an appearance soon~ Please review!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen