Chapter Three
An Unexpected Encounter
Kouga stopped at the base of a mountain and set Naomi on her feet. "This is a shorter way than we went before. If you can ride on my back, we can cut the time in half. The only reason I didn't go this way before was because I wasn't sure you could take it in the condition you were in."
"Yeah, let's go this way." Kouga took the book bag off his back and gave it to Naomi. She slung it over her shoulder and climbed on Kouga's back. From the speed he ran at before, she figured he was strong enough to get up the mountain.
"Ready?" he asked. Naomi confirmed, "Uh-huh."
Carrying Naomi on his back now, Kouga jumped up the mountain towards the den. Three years of rock climbing had taught Naomi not to be afraid of heights. However, the mountain was quite higher than anything she had had to climb before, so she didn't look down.
At the top, he offered to carry Naomi in his arms again, but, to save time, she said she was fine the way she was. Kouga took off along a path-wide ledge along the mountain, still heading for the den. A few minutes running and Naomi could see the river from the waterfall. She knew they were close. Then, she saw a big shadow fly overhead and Kouga stopped.
"What the hell was that?" she asked, trying to figure out if she should be afraid of whatever it was. She looked up to find out. From around a cliff, an off-white bird flew out. Normally, this wouldn't be so unsettling to Naomi. She had so many birds in her yard, it was hard to find a day when you couldn't find one. No, but this bird was different. It was twenty or more times the size of the birds in her yard, even bigger than her. It had no beak, just a row of sharp teeth. On it's back, it looked like a blue human was riding it, but when she saw no legs hanging from either side, she knew it was attached to the bird itself. Suddenly, another flew out. Soon, five of the birds had appeared and were looking straight down at Kouga and her.
"They're the Birds of Paradise, and from the looks of it, they want dinner. Now let's go. I can't do a thing about 'em right now." Kouga took off again. "See ya, buzzard brains. We're outta here"
"Hey! It's Kouga! Kouga's come back!" Ginta called for the second time that day. Another one of the youkai called out, "Hey! Kouga!"
Kouga stopped and let Naomi off his back. "Hey, guys. I'm back" he said, looking up at his pack.
Rusty ran out from what seamed like nowhere and came up to Naomi. "Hey, Rusty," she cooed, scratching the oversized puppy behind the ears.
"Come on, Naomi. Let's get you settled in," Kouga suggested, picking her up briefly enough to get her onto the ledge into the den. They both walked in and to the bed of grass. Naomi threw the pack off her back and onto the bed. Between the back door and the well, Naomi had managed to shove the cooler into the pack. Now, she pulled it out and set it down.
"Do you have like, a fire pit or something in here?" Naomi asked, opening the cooler and pulling the steak out.
"Over there," Kouga said, pointing to a little pit almost in the middle of the den. She thanked him and went over to the pit. The steak was wrapped in a Food Lion pack. She took it out and sat wondering how the hell she was supposed to cook the steak without an oven. However, she did know that in order to cook it, she would need fire. Naomi picked up two stones and started striking them together trying to get a spark. It was in vein, however. Kouga noticed her struggling and came over to help. He took the two stones from her a struck them together. On his first attempt, there was a spark, and in the next second, a flame.
"Have you ever done this in your life?" he asked laughing.
"I've never cooked this way before. So sue me." Naomi built a small rack with some of the sticks and hoped they wouldn't burn before the meal was ready. She put the two steak on and watched carefully as one side began to unfreeze. "I've never done this without a timer, either," she admitted.
Despite the lack of technology, Naomi managed to cook the steak. She put out the fire and went back to the cooler and pack. She took out the wine bottle and glasses and poured wine for Kouga and her. She grabbed the two plates and went back to the steak and called for Kouga. "Hey, Kouga. The steak is ready."
From behind the waterfall, Kouga emerged, followed by some of his pack. As soon as he heard them following him, though, he turned and scowled at them. They immediately turned and walked back out.
By this time, no one was in the den except Kouga and Naomi. He made his way over to her. "Smells good," he said.
Putting the steak on the plates, she thanked him and stood up, heading for the bed of grass. "Let's eat over here. It's more comfortable. She had had the wine glasses set out over there for them already. Kouga followed Naomi to the bed and sat down beside her. She passed him a plate and then looked down at hers. "Damn."
"What's wrong," Kouga asked.
"I forgot the goddamn silverware," she said. "Oh, well."
The two ate their steak with their hands. Naomi was pleasantly surprised that she did so well on lunch without an oven. Apparently, Kouga did too.
"This is really good, Naomi," he complimented her once again between mouthfuls.
"Thanks," she said, swallowing. She picked up the wine glass and guzzled it down in one breath.
Kouga and Naomi finished up their steak and wine and Kouga thanked Naomi for the meal once more.
Just then, the wolves came from behind the waterfall whining.
"Oh, you hungry too?" he asked the wolves as they came over to them.
"Ha. I guess I should have brought enough for everyone." Naomi joked.
"I guess I better go feed them. I've got some business I need to take care of anyway. I want you to stay here, Naomi. This might be a good time for you to get situated here."
"Okay. When you get back, maybe we can do something about the Birds of Paradise?" she suggested. Kouga, heading for the waterfall, responded, "Ha, we'll see."
Kouga let the wolves run ahead of him. They rushed into the village, searching for the one man. He ran out of a hut and jumped into the lake once he heard the wolves. He jumped into the lake, trying to escape the wolves, but his effort was in vein. The wolves jumped in after him and dragged him ashore, where Kouga stepped in. "I had to search high and low for you, you dirty thief." Kouga grabbed him by his hair and lifted his head so he would look up to him. "Now give me back the Sacred Jewel Shard that you stole from me."
The man took out the shard from his robes and set it on the ground. Kouga picked it up and stood up with a grin. He turned from the man.
"You're letting me go? Thank you for your mercy," the thief said.
"Ha!" Kouga turned and swept his claws through the thief. "Fool. I would have forgotten," he said, shaking his hand free of most the man's blood. Kouga took a step and then remembered the pack. "I've gotten what I wanted, so I'm gonna head back. You can stay and eat to your heart's desire. Catch up with me when you're done." Kouga ran off, leaving the wolves to eat the villagers.
The wolves spread out, one went to the dead thief, the others got their own villager. Three of them headed off through the woods after a little girl. Within minutes, the village was slaughtered.
Then, a group of people showed up. Three youkai, one half human, the other a mere boy, the third, a neko. The other three were human. A monk, a youkai slayer, and another girl.
"A massacre," the monk exclaimed.
"Is anyone here alive?" asked the youkai child.
"Was this done by a pack of wolves?" the youkai hunter asked.
They looked down at the dirt which was covered in wolf prints. "They left their tracks everywhere" the child noted.
"There must have been a great deal of them," the monk stated. "Do you think they could have been possessed by the jewel shard Kagome sensed?"
"Probably. This slaughter has 'youkai' written all over it." the hanyou said.
Then, the wolves came into their sight, growling, bearing their teeth. The child jumped up into the girl's arms. "Look out! The wolves are surrounding us!" he screamed, and indeed, they were. The wolves had formed a circle around the group, closing in on them slowly.
"Ha! Let's teach these wolves a lesson," the hanyou said, flexing his claws. "They're stray. Looks like their leader isn't even here. They're useless in battle unless they're in a pack." The hanyou ran forward, pulling out a sword and it transformed into something larger than he should have been able to hold. He cut through several of them before the rest leaped forward. However, he sliced through them too. The remainder of them recognized when they were outnumbered. They ran to the side of a hut and howled for Kouga.
"They're howling!" the kid said still petrified.
"They're calling for their comrades," the monk noticed.
Their howling echoed through the forest and the town. It was almost bone-chilling.
"I can sense the power of a Sacred Jewel shard. And it's coming at us fast!" the girl said. Everyone gasped and the hanyou got into a battle stance. From the woods, Kouga came running to the rescue of his wolves. He stopped in front of the group, jumping out of a whirlwind. "Just who are you? Explain yourselves. Why are you killing my wolves?"
"InuYasha, Lookout. He's got three shards--" the girl was cut off by her hanyou companion.
"So you're the one controlling this blood-thirsty pack?" the hanyou rudely questioned.
"And you're their executioner?" he asked, hurt and saddened at the sight of his wolves dead on the ground. "Damn you all for murdering my underlings. You'll pay with your lives."
"Go on. Try it. How many innocent people have you and your mongrels killed? You reek of human blood."
"They needed to eat. Got a problem with that, Mutt Face?"
"Did you just call me a mutt?"
"No. Your right. That would be an insult to canines. You smell much worse!"
"Don't like my smell? Then maybe I'll solve your problem by slicing off your nose and stabbing some air into your belly." The hanyou lunged after Kouga, but he leaped into the air before he hit and came down on the hanyou with a back kick to the face, sending him back a few feet.
"Unreal!" exclaimed the monk.
"He's fast," the youkai hunter noticed.
"InuYasha! Watch out! He's using the power of the Sacred Jewel. They're in his legs and his right arm!" she girl called.
She can tell? Kouga thought to himself.
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" the hanyou asked, irked he had just been thrown back. "I thought you were acting pretty tough, but it's only 'cause you got jewel shards. You haven't got any power on your own, do ya?" he insulted, getting up.
"Ha! But you gotta know how to use the power you whining whelp."
"If only you could fight as fast as you can talk. Then we'd get somewhere."
"Shut up! Albino runt!"
"You aughta be put down for rabies!"
"They're well-matched when it comes to foul behavior," the monk commented.
"He's a wolf youkai," the youkai slayer noticed.
"You've encountered them before?" the monk asked.
"I'm Kouga. The new leader of the Wolf Youkai Tribe. And your destroyer!" Kouga leaped at the hanyou, but he seamed to dodge every attack. The hanyou swung back, but Kouga dodged his attacks even more easily than the hanyou did his. He fell when he missed, and Kouga found it a golden opportunity. He ran at the hanyou, but he flipped him into a hut with his feet. It didn't phase him, however.
"Heh. You can barely keep up on the defenses, let alone attack." Kouga ran for the hanyou, but he lifted his sword and let out a war cry. Kouga could sense the power in the air and he stopped. "Something's wrong. Let's retreat! This is too dangerous!" Kouga and the wolves turned and ran back for the den.
"Kouga's back!" Hakkaku called as Kouga leaped up onto the ledge to get to the den. "Hey, Hakkaku," he said, almost completely ignoring him. He walked in the den rubbing his arms. Naomi was the first one to notice--after Hakkaku--he had come back.
"Kouga, are you cold?" she asked, noticing him vigorously rubbing his nicely toned arms. She came over to him and hugged him, trying to give him some of her body heat.
"It's not that. I came across a hanyou while we were out. He hade some major power. Ugh! My fur's still standing on end!" Kouga exclaimed. Naomi rubbed his upper back, trying to calm him. "Rusty, Jekai, Spike!" Kouga called. Three of the wolves showed up a few moments later. "Go find out what that mutt is all about." The three took off again.
Then Kouga noticed Naomi holding onto him, rubbing his back. She noticed the surprise in his eyes and pulled away blushing. "Eh... sorry."
Naomi walked back to the bed of grass and got soap, shampoo and conditioner out of her pack as well as her night clothes. It was dark now, and most of the wolves had gone inside the cave. She decided this would be the opportune time to take a bath.
"Where are you going?" Kouga asked.
"I gotta go take a bath. No offence, but I'm used to living in... well... cleaner conditions. I just need to bathe and I'll be happy."
"Hakkaku is out there on guard duty," he warned.
"So?" Kouga had forgotten she wasn't much for modesty.
"Never mind," he said, turning for the bed.
Leaving the den, Naomi walked down the trail the wolves had shown her earlier that day. Hakkaku smiled and waved at her as she went by. She returned the smile and kept going. At the edge of the river, Naomi set her things down and stripped. She could feel Hakkaku's eyes bearing down on her nude body. Without even looking up at him, she said, "It's impolite to stare, you know." She knew he had turned away.
She walked close to where the waterfall hit the river so she wouldn't hit her head on any rocks she couldn't see and then dove in. The water now seemed cold, but she couldn't tell if that was because the sun wasn't there to warm it up now, or if her lack of clothes had something to do with it. No matter, she got used to it almost the second after she jumped in. She swam around and dove down just to see how far she could go, and played around like that for a few minutes before she returned to shore to get her shampoo.
Kouga snuck out of the den and quickly found Hakkaku. "I'm going to take over for a few minutes," he said and Hakkaku immediately stood up. As he was going back to the den, he gave Kouga a horny smile and went inside. Kouga shook it off and jumped up to the top of the cliff where he sat down and looked down at the playful Naomi. She was swimming and playing around in the water. He smiled to see her having so much fun. Then, she swam to where she could stand and walked ashore. Kouga could feel himself blushing. Her beautiful, slim form, her firm and supple breasts, wet and glowing by the light of the full moon. For the second time, he noticed how beautiful she was. And then he imagined what it would be like to hold her, both of them in the water, nude and glowing. He couldn't help his arousal. He almost whined, trying to keep himself under control, but he kept quiet, knowing she would somehow or another hear him. He wanted to go back inside so he wouldn't risk it, but he knew someone had to stay out and keep guard, watch over her, and he'd rather it be him than Hakkaku, so he bit his lip and tried his bet to keep quiet. She completely took his mind off the hanyou.
Naomi poured about a quarter-sized amount of shampoo into her hands then closed the top and set it back on shore. She walked back out to where the water came up to her waist, rubbing the shampoo in her hands. She tilted her head back so she wouldn't get it in her eyes and lathered it into her hair. She scrubbed until her entire head was covered in bubbles. Then she dove back underwater and swam out to where she had to tread. She surfaced and then dove back under, swimming back to where she could stand. She went ashore again and grabbed the conditioner and repeated what she had done with her shampoo. After that was done, she grabbed the bar of soap and lathered it up in her hands. This time she stayed ashore, just so the water hit her ankles. She set the soap down and started running her soapy hands over her body, first at her neck, going down her arms, and then down the rest of her body.
Kouga could barely keep himself under control. Naomi rubbed the soap over her breasts and he wanted to do it then himself. God she was beautiful. He wondered what it would be like to have her as his mate. She was a really good cook, she was beautiful, but on top of all that, she was the nicest person he had ever met. He was glad she was staying with him.
Naomi swam back out to the middle of the river and dove down one last time, rinsing herself off. She surfaced and swam back ashore. Then she noticed she had forgotten to pack a towel. "Damn," she cursed herself under her breath. Then she figured the pack might have something to dry off with. She thought she could get Hakkaku to go get Kouga so she could ask him. She liked Kouga more than all of the other wolf youkai. "Hey, Hakkaku," she called, but when there was no answer, she turned to find out why. No one was there. Now, in the short time she had been with the youkai tribe, she had found out that there was always someone on guard duty. There had to be someone somewhere. She looked all around for someone keeping guard. Then, she saw a shadow at the top of the cliff. She recognized it almost immediately. "Hey, Kouga," she called, but with more enthusiasm than the she had called for Hakkaku. The shadow backed up out of view and Naomi laughed. "Kouga, it's okay. I don't care. Actually...it's quite flattering..."
Kouga came back into view and jumped down to her. He scratched the back of his head. "Uh...sorry about that..." he said embarrassed.
"Eh, it's okay. Like I said before, I don't mind," she said reassuring him. "But anyway, do you have something to dry off with. Stupid me, I forgot to pack a towel."
"You're not stupid," Kouga said, not really knowing what he was saying.
"Kouga," she said, trying to get his attention.
"Hn?"
She gave up and let out a sigh and smiled. "Do you have something I can dry off with?"
"Oh, sorry. Yeah. You stay here so the guys won't be staring at you," he said, starting to head for the den.
"I don't care. You know that," she said again, following him.
Kouga stopped and turned to face her, but she was walking too close behind him and she bumped into him. She backed up and looked up into his eyes. "But I... I do..." he choked out.
Naomi was stunned. She wasn't expecting him to say that, and especially not as compassionately as he did.
"I'll go on my own. Just stay here. I wont be long," he said turning. Kouga jumped up on the ledge leading inside the den and went in. Naomi put her hand over her open mouth in realization. He was in love with her. "Oh my god..."