Yay! My roommate just got an entire a capella group coming to our room to serenade her into joining them! I'm so proud of her. She's been practicing so hard and everything, and she was thinking that she wouldn't make it in because there were thirty people that tried out, but she's the one that made it! Yay for her! It was sooooo cool! Okay, now to calm down and write a chapter. Ah…my hands are still shaking a little. Whew, okay.
*****
Something Is Real
Part 3
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Ayame scrunched her nose up slightly, sniffing the air with a look of concentration in her normally wide green eyes. Her orange-brown pigtails whipped out behind her as she ran, literally following her nose toward her goal. Kouga can't be far now…I know he'll help me out. Three days ago, the vestiges of her ever-suffering northern wolf tribe had taken another bad hit when their temporary home was washed away in a storm. Ayame had gathered the few tribesmen that were still fit to travel behind her before racing off in search of Kouga. Granted, she didn't have a plan yet, but she was confident that Kouga would know what to do.
If only grandfather was still here. He always knew the answer when things got tough. She resisted the urge to screw her face up in a petulant scowl, knowing that the expression would be wasted on the wolves running at her heels and just behind her. They'd already do anything they could to make her happy. She was their leader, now that everyone else of high rank was gone. Ayame thought it was vaguely unfair to be forced into the responsibility when she was still so young, but at the same time, she couldn't help but enjoy the independence inherent with her new position. And yet, she'd gladly give it up if it meant she could hear the voices of all the kin that had died over the past year.
Ayame was so concentrated on following Kouga's scent and thinking of her past troubles and new responsibilities, she didn't see Kouga's men until she had tripped right over Hakkaku and flipped over herself, only being saved from a painful landing by the quick reflexes of Ginta, who caught her before she could fall. She was so surprised and embarrassed that as she looked up into Ginta's widened eyes, all she could manage to say was, "Oops." Ginta seemed to think this was amusing, because he offered her a fanged grin as he maintained his hold on her.
"She…ran me over." Hakkaku's voice reminded the other wolf youkai of what he was after, and he set Ayame down lightly.
"You okay?" he asked the pretty young girl, moving to help up his friend.
"Eh…yeah, I'm okay. Just embarrassed." Ayame tugged at one pigtail nervously. "Sorry, Hakkaku. I guess I wasn't really paying attention."
"Don't worry bout it." He waved her apology away before wiping the dirt out of his wolf fur. "We were just coming to see you."
"Really? I was going to see Kouga." She informed them of what they had likely already figured out. "I could smell him nearby."
"Uh…yeah, he's nearby." Ginta spoke before exchanging worried looks with Hakkaku. "There's…a little problem with that."
"A problem? Is Kouga in trouble?" Ayame's emerald eyes went wide and her face paled in fear. If something happened to Kouga, she didn't know what she would do. He was the only thing left for her to rely on. He was the last hope of all her people, she was sure. As long as Kouga was around, the wolf youkai could survive anything.
"Kinda." Hakkaku rubbed the back of his mohawk. "See…there's this barrier that Naraku put him in, and now we can't get him out."
"It sucks up youki and uses that to stay strong. There's no way we can get through it without killing ourselves." Ginta explained further as Ayame wrung her hands in ever increasing panic. "But don't worry, cause we're pretty sure that Inuyasha can get him out. His sword cuts barriers really well."
"So…are you going to get him now?" Ayame wanted to know, her expression tearful at the idea of Kouga suffering at all. "Will Kouga be alright?"
"Uh…we're pretty sure he'll be fine till we get back, yeah." Hakkaku nodded. "But if you needed him to go beat up some giant oni or something, he's not gonna be much help."
"That's not what this is about." Ayame now released her petulance to it's full potential, jutting out her lip and furrowing her brow as she straightened her back and crossed her arms. "It's just…our home was destroyed and we have nowhere to go."
"So you wanted to come with Kouga?" Ginta shook his head. "Listen, Ayame, this isn't a game or anything. We're trying to avenge our kinsmen, and we might never go back home alive by the time everything's done with."
"They were my kinsmen too." She insisted, directing her pout at Ginta now. "And I say that if Kouga needs our help, I'm going to do whatever I can!"
"Then stay out of the way." Hakkaku told her. "You're always getting in trouble."
"We can't always protect you, Ayame." Ginta shrugged apologetically. "We've got our hands full trying to keep Kouga from getting himself killed every day."
"Who said I need protection?" she demanded. "Well then, now that that's settled, I say we go find Inuyasha and Kagome so they can let Kouga out. He has nothing to worry about now that I'm here!"
"She makes it sound like it was her plan…" Hakkaku addressed his friend in a whisper as they let her lead the way to where they could sense Inuyasha and Kagome, not terribly far away, but still a good distance from where they were.
"Just don't argue with her." Ginta rolled his dark eyes slightly. "Girls like that never listen."
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Ayame wondered what she had done to win herself two new dependent retainers, as that was what Ginta and Hakkaku seemed to be to her. They obviously weren't very strong, or they wouldn't have let Naraku capture Kouga just like that. Really, what kind of kinsmen could be so irresponsible with their leader? Just because Kouga was in charge, that didn't mean he didn't need protecting, and obviously they were unfit to provide him with that. It was really very fortunate that she had happened upon them when they were so forlorn and helpless, organizing their efforts and coming up with a feasible plan of action.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't all her idea. But the fact remained that she was obviously the one in charge of this operation. And so, it bothered her quite a bit that Ginta and Hakkaku had the audacity to run in front of her, as though they were the ones leading her around. As if she couldn't find Inuyasha perfectly well on her own. It was laughable, really. She just…didn't think it was very funny.
"You two, get back behind me!" she commanded, using her most authoritative tone, which sounded more like a little girl's indignant whine than anything else. "I'm in charge here." Grumbling, Hakkaku fell back, but Ginta didn't even bother to acknowledge she'd said anything, much less given him a perfectly sensible order. "Ginta, I'm serious."
"That's good." He told her, continuing to maintain his position in the lead. "This isn't some game for little kids to play."
"I'm not a kid." She insisted.
"I never said you were." Ginta shrugged, seemingly unaware of how angry she was becoming due to his nonchalant statements.
"I said get behind me." She insisted testily after a few moments. "I'm in charge and you know it. I rank higher than you."
"You're wolf-kin, same as me." He pointed out. "And this wasn't your problem to begin with. Just because you want to tag along, that doesn't make you the leader."
"My grandfather was the elder of all four wolf tribes!" Ayame couldn't believe this. Why would he even bother to challenge her rank?
"You have to earn leadership, even if you're born high." Ginta informed her. "Do you think Kouga just orders us around without anything backing him up but the fact that his father was the old leader?"
"Are you saying I'm not fit to lead?" Ayame was positively indignant.
"I'm saying that if it's so damn important to you that you lead, then lead." Ginta told her, sweeping his arm forward to indicate the space in front of him. "But I'm not slowing down to coddle some spoiled brat."
"Spoiled…why you!" Ayame was absolutely furious, and she didn't realize she'd reached for her flower until she felt the petals in her fingers. Breathing deeply, she calmed down enough to focus on putting Ginta in his place in a more appropriate way. Concentrating her strength, she pressed forward, gaining on Ginta easily. At least, it seemed easy to begin with, before he put on speed as well. "Hey!"
"I told you." He turned to smile at her in an infuriatingly innocent fashion. "I'm not slowing down for you."
"Fine! I'll beat you anyway!" Ayame exclaimed angrily, pushing more energy into her speed, trying to remember all the training she had done in that area. She had to beat him, if only to prove she wasn't some spoiled brat. And besides that, she was the leader by right. This race shouldn't even be a prerequisite, and he'd only feel stupid once she ground him into the dirt. She knew she was gaining on him, but he was a lot faster than she expected and he kept spurting back ahead of her. It was almost as if he was teasing her, but she could hardly believe something like that. Sure, he ran around a lot following Kouga all over the place, but Ginta was nothing next to his leader.
Of course, Ayame knew that her own speed couldn't hope to match Kouga's either. But that was beside the point. What mattered here was that Ginta was in no way a match for her, and if he would just slow down for a second, she would prove it to him. She was so close…if she just reached out, she could trip him up, and it would serve him right for challenging her authority in the first place. Smirking slightly at the thought of her impending victory, she reached forward and grabbed the wolf's arm, holding it tight and yanking backwards and down.
Several things happened all at once.
"What the hell?" Ginta felt her hand a second too late to do anything about it, but at the moment she pulled on his arm, Ginta reached over and grabbed the offending hand to swing it's owner to the ground for even trying such a dirty trick in the first place. This caused a tumbling mess of youkai as Ginta was too distracted to notice the tree roots in front of him, falling flat on his face and releasing Ayame's hand at the same time, effectively throwing the shocked girl up and into a mass of foliage just overhead. Hakkaku's eyes followed the flying wolf princess with terrified eyes, as though he couldn't quite process what had occurred to launch the girl so cleanly through the air. Of course, this only led to more trouble as he tripped right over the gradually recovering Ginta, who had attempted to recover from his fall immediately, but instead had managed to rise just in time for his companion to run smack into him, sending them both to the ground once more in a grumbling and cursing heap. Ayame found her voice about halfway through her unexpected launch, and though instincts told her she would be able to land safely, she shrieked in surprised indignation anyway as branches whipped against her face and she began to come down.
Unfortunately, her landing was blocked by a group of people walking down a narrow forest path. "Get out of the way!" she cried in shock, knowing she didn't have enough time to correct her descent and avoid smashing into the black-haired girl in strange clothes. Luckily, her companion snatched her out of the way just in time, but that didn't save Ayame from the pain of landing smack into a hastily abandoned bicycle. "Owww…" she grumbled as she noted that she was aching in several spots due to the mishap, and she immediately determined to make Ginta pay for every bruise, even if it would heal in next to no time thanks to her youki.
"Ayame-chan?" it was only when the familiar girl bent over her did Ayame stand, still feeling more than slightly angry, her face flushing red as she faced Kagome. How embarrassing. Her main love rival had just seen her fall out of the sky like a helpless child. Surely Kagome would tell Kouga all about it and have a good laugh at her expense. Life was so cruel.
"I'll kill him." Was all she managed to say before disentangling herself with the mass of metal and storming back into the shrubbery with five pairs of confused eyes still on her. "Ginta? What are you doing?" she placed her hands on her hips, managing to look suitably threatening as she did her best to growl at the two youkai who were just getting off the forest floor.
"Getting up." He told her as carelessly as if he hadn't just sent her flying through the treetops and had absolutely no idea why she seemed to be so very angry.
"Um…Ayame-chan? Are you alright?" Kagome could not be deterred from her concern for Ayame's well-being, and as such she had followed the girl back into the forest, even though Inuyasha was right behind her, glaring at all three wolf youkai and all their canine companions. Apparently, he took it as a personal insult that Kagome had been dive-bombed by Ayame, unintentionally or not.
"Kagome-oneesan! We were looking for you!" Hakkaku brushed his fur off hurriedly before shoving past Ayame along with Ginta, both of the young men standing and looking at her so excitedly that Ayame was surprised their tails didn't start wagging.
"Kouga's captured!" Ginta seemed completely different than he had a few moments ago, as though he'd suddenly forgotten all about his carefully maintained dignity. Ayame was really starting to get irritated with the effect Kagome seemed to have on men. It's not like she was that pretty.
"Kouga?" Kagome's blue grey eyes widened in worry, and she darted a glance at Inuyasha as though she thought he'd be concerned as well. Inuyasha merely snorted in ridicule as though he thought it was funny but he was still ready to kill Ayame for almost plowing over Kagome.
"Yes, there's a barrier, apparently." Ayame decided that everything would get done more quickly if she interfered, but she was shut up almost immediately by a sharp look from Ginta.
"Don't listen to her, she's just following us around." Ginta told Kagome. "She didn't even see it."
"That's right! But yeah, Kouga said it was Naraku." Hakkaku continued his explanation. "And that the barrier absorbs youki so he can't get through. We thought you could help." At this point, both wolves gave Inuyasha a meaningful look, but it wasn't necessary. Kagome had already guessed at what they wanted and had whirled to face Inuyasha down.
"Inuyasha! We should go save him." Kagome told him as their other companions made their way through the brush to see what was going on.
"Whatever, like I want to rescue that wimpy wolf. It's his own fault for getting tricked." Inuyasha said, but he wasn't very convincing. He looked as though he was trying to figure out a puzzle in his mind. "Naraku did it, huh?"
"What has happened?" Miroku spoke, stepping up beside Inuyasha with Sango, Kirara, and Shippo beside him. "Naraku has been spotted?"
"He trapped Kouga in a cave!" Hakkaku insisted impatiently. "With a girl."
"A girl?" Ayame looked as though she'd just blown a fuse somewhere. "In a cave? With Kouga? Alone?" She grabbed Hakkaku by the shoulders and squeezed as though she intended to shake the details out of him.
"I—we—that is…we didn't really see her." Hakkaku told her, looking slightly frightened. He hadn't realized that even with how juvenile and clumsy she seemed at times, Ayame really did have a considerable amount of youki backing the furious fire in her emerald eyes. She was probably about as strong as Ginta or him, or even stronger if she could get it under control and use it effectively. "I just smelled her. It was a girl for sure though. A youkai."
"Probably someone else Naraku's enemies with." Sango tapped her lips thoughtfully with one finger. "Could it have been Kikyo?"
"Kikyo? Trapped with Kouga?" Inuyasha didn't look as though he could care less anymore.
"No, calm down, Inuyasha." Kagome held up her hands and turned to the hanyou in a soothing gesture. "Hakkaku said it was a youkai, and that couldn't be Kikyo."
"But she does always have the soul stealers with her." Sango considered. "Maybe they sensed that."
"No, we smelled it. There was just a youkai girl, nothing else." Ginta told her. "Well, except Kouga. And that barrier."
"Barrier?" Miroku sounded intrigued. "Naraku created it?"
"Yeah, it absorbs youki." Kagome nodded, "That's what they say, at least."
"Hmm, that is troublesome indeed." Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As I do not think Inuyasha will be of any help in this case."
"What? I could cut through one of Naraku's barriers with no problem!" Inuyasha's hand was on his sword, as if ready to demonstrate his skill with the magical katana.
"Tetsusaiga relies on it's demon strength to cut through barriers as well as to use the wound of the wind." Miroku reminded him. "If this barrier truly absorbs youki, then it will be impenetrable to your sword."
"That could be…" Kagome appeared troubled. "But shouldn't we still be able to help? We can't just leave Kouga there. And anyway, if Naraku trapped him there has to be some sort of clues about where he is now." Kagome was adamant, and Inuyasha still seemed worried at the vague possibility of Kikyo being trapped with Kouga, no matter what the other wolves said about the girl in the cave. Really, what female youkai did Naraku have a grudge against? Surely they would have met her by that time if there were any.
"Let's get this over with." Inuyasha made a great show of looking annoyed, but he was obviously eager to get moving, as evinced by the fact that he crouched down low to signal for Kagome to get on his back. If Naraku was anywhere nearby, he didn't want to let the bastard escape.
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The End (Of Part 3, That Is)