Chapter Four
Birds of Paradise
It was morning before the three wolves came back. "I knew it. That sword of his uses some sort of magic." Kouga said as the three told him what they had seen. "Damn it. My fur is still standing on end just thinking about it. But at least I know what to do next. That girl has the power to see the Sacred Jewel Shards." I could put her skills to very good use, he thought.
Kouga went back into the den where Naomi was still asleep. He walked over to the bed and her sleeping form. Gently, he nudged her, waking her up. "Hey, Naomi," he said brightly. She smiled back at him as she forced herself to get up. "Hey, Kouga. What's up?"
"I've got to go and take care of some business. I just thought you should know," he said.
"Oh, thanks." she said, sitting up. "Uh, what's here to eat?"
"I'll get Rusty to get you something, but I have to get going or I'll miss my chance."
"Okay, well good luck, and thanks for letting me know before you left," Naomi said, giving Kouga a goodbye hug.
He was startled at first, but then hugged her back. "No problem."
Naomi let go. "See ya."
"Bye," he said and ran out.
Kouga sent the wolves to the top of the cliff and he waited at the bottom. About five miles from the den, the group he ran into before were walking along the path-wide ledge halfway up the cliff, heading straight for the den. The wolves ran down and attacked the group, three on the hanyou, sending him off the cliff, and the rest on the monk, the youkai hunter and the neko. Kouga ran up the cliff, passing InuYasha on the way. "See you later, Mutt Face." he said and continued up.
"InuYasha!" the girl said before Kouga grabbed her. "Now she's mine!" he said, running off for the den.
"Kagome!" the monk called as another wolf attacked. He blocked him with his staff. "No! Kagome!"
Kouga came up to a ledge but kept running. "What are you doing?!" Kagome screamed.
He jumped. "This cliff is nothing to me. I've got sacred jewel shards in my legs."
Kagome and the little youkai child on her shoulder screamed. Kouga caught onto the cliff. "Would you shut the fuck up?!" he yelled at her and started up the cliff. She was on his back, so she was screaming in his ear. His all-too-sensitive ear.
"I'll scream if I want to!" she yelled and continued screaming. Kouga continued up to the top.
The wolves jumped off the hanyou and onto a ledge, letting him fall into the river.
"They're going to pay for what they did," the hanyou said, looking up at the wolves. They stared back, and then ran off, seeing Kouga had gotten the girl.
Kouga stopped running and looked back at the hanyou. "Ha! He can't keep up with me. No one can run as fast as I can."
"Of course not," Kagome said. You have Sacred Jewel Shards jammed in your legs. You don't get bragging rights if you're cheating, you know"
"What did you say?"
"You've got some nerve kidnapping me like that. What do you want? What are you up to?"
"Hmph."
Just then, two shadows of the Birds of Paradise passed.
"Did you see that?" Kagome asked. "Was that a bird? Tell me that was just a really big bird."
Kouga didn't respond. He didn't see a reason to explain anything to her.
"C'mon. say something. You're freaking me out!" Kagome looked into the skies and saw seven or more of the Birds of Paradise. "What are those things?"
"They aren't canaries, I'll tell you that much," he said, hoping to shut her up. "See if any of them have Jewel Shards. Can you tell?"
"Hn?"
"I know you have to power to see Jewel Shards. Do those youkai birds have any?"
"No. I don't think so. I don't see any from here, anyway."
"Take a good look. Not even the ones over the cliff?"
"No."
"Then I've got no use for 'em." Kouga took off again, headed for the den.
Hakkaku spotted Kouga and let everyone know, "Hey! Kouga's back!"
Ginta also saw him and called to him, "Hey!"
Kouga stopped on a rock in the middle of the river. Most of his pack was outside. "Hey guys."
From inside the cave, Naomi heard Kouga's voice echoing through the walls. She smiled and got up from the bed, carrying her meal, a roasted rat that Rusty had caught for her. She ran to the ledge on the outside of the waterfall so she could see Kouga. "Hey, Kouga," she called with a wave. Then she noticed the girl on his back and wondered what he had gone to do. "Hey, Naomi," he called with a smile.
Kouga jumped up onto the ledge and went inside, Naomi following beside him. He let the girl off his back and grabbed her strongly by the upper arm, leading her to the grass bed. One of the wolves asked, "Hey, Kouga. Who's the woman?" He didn't respond.
Kouga stopped at the bed and he threw the girl on. Naomi half expected him to get on overtop of her and mate her, but he only stood there. Then one of the youkai spoke up. "Nice looking prey, Kouga. Can I have one of the legs?"
"I claim first dibs on the liver," said another.
Naomi took a bite of the skinned, roasted rat, almost glad she had that and didn't have to eat a human like her.
"This woman is off limits. I'll kill anyone who tries to take a bite." As she listened to Kouga and the wolf youkai, it reminded her of when she came.
Three of the wolves came up behind Kouga, Rusty included, whining and sniffing his tail. Kouga looked back at them.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Him." he said, grabbing the tip of his tail and lifting it up so he could see the underneath. "I forgot he grabbed on to my tail when I captured the girl. I assumed he fell off. Guess not." Kouga took the kid off his tail and threw him in the middle of the wolves. "Here. Have an appetizer."
The wolves stared growling and started closing in on the kid. "Kagome! Help! Kagome help!" the kid screamed.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" the girl said, getting off the bed. "Do you want my help with the jewel shards or don't you? If anyone lays a hand on Shippou I refuse to help. I don't care what you do to me!"
Naomi was relieved to learn that the girl had just been brought in to help, but what the hell was a Jewel Shard.
"Well. You've got more courage than I thought," he said, moving for the gang of wolves.
"Huh?" the girl said in shock.
"C'mon, move!" He said, picking up one of the wolves. "Whoa. You guys have packed on a lot a weight again, you bunch of gluttons. You're not eating anything else for a couple of days." He let the wolf off out of his way and walked in to the middle. He grabbed the child and tossed him to the girl. "Here you go."
"Shippou!" she exclaimed.
"Kagome!" he said in return, trying to give her a bear hug, but with his small arms, it was impossible.
Naomi was relived Kouga let the boy go. His soft spot is kind of cute, she thought.
"Move! Move out of the way! We've got injured. Make room!" a wolf youkai yelled, coming into the cave. He walked with three others and two carried on stretchers.
"What happened out there?" one asked.
"Get him some water. Come on. Hurry up!" he said without answering the question.
Another one of the wolf youkai brought a home-made bowl over to the two on the stretchers and helped them drink.
Kouga came over and noticed one of them had a fist full of feathers. "Was it them?"
"Yeah. They attacked hard during the mid-day changing of the watch. Only these two managed to escape. Others fell off the cliff to their death and were carried away." Ginta answered him.
"Oh, my God!" Naomi said, coming over to Kouga.
"Such terrible wounds," the girl stated, also stopping near Kouga.
"You two saw them earlier. They call themselves the Birds of Paradise but they're our arch enemies and this is definitely their doing. They're brutal youkai and we've lost many to them. Without warning, they swoop down silently and capture our comrades with their sharp, powerful claws." Kouga walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Oh, Kouga," Naomi said, sounding as pained as Kouga.
"Then what do they do?" the girl asked. Naomi was angered by her bluntness, wishing she had consideration for his feelings, but Kouga continued anyway.
"They eat them. We've come across their nest before and found them littered with hundreds of wolf bones." Naomi sat down beside Kouga and put her hand on his shoulder.
"And even you're no match for them?" the girl asked.
"That's just it. One of the Birds of Paradise possesses a Sacred Jewel Shard and now he's even faster than we are. A few weeks ago, he killed fifty of our wolves in one fell swoop. It's gotta be the power of the Sacred Jewel. At this rate, I'm afraid our pack's about to be wiped out completely. So we need to find a way to restore the balance of power somehow."
"So your pack is in danger and that's why you want me to find which Bird of Paradise has the shard?" the girl asked.
"You'll scout out the bird with the shard. Then, we'll attack its nest and steal it from him. Otherwise, the fighting between us will drag on and lives will continue to be sacrificed senselessly... So... You gonna help us out, or what?"
"Yes." she said simply. "I will."
"What's this?" Hakkaku asked. The wolves had brought in a pile of mushrooms. "These are gross!" he exclaimed. "Don't pick 'em if you can't eat 'em!" he threw one at one of the wolves and he whimpered. Naomi noticed the youkai child was quite startled by this. However, she took another bite of the rat and dismissed the action.
Kouga came over to Naomi and sat down beside her. "Hey," he said.
"Hey. Look I'm sorry about..." she trailed off, not wanting to say something that might hurt him.
"It's alright...Look, I've got to go out to guard duty so you're going to be here with Rusty for a little while again. Just thought you should know." Kouga stood back up and grabbed a spear.
"Hey, Kouga..." she started, standing up.
"Hn?" he asked, turning around.
"I want to go with you. I think I should earn my keep if I'm going to stay he--"
"No. It's way too dangerous. I don't want you hurt," he said, cutting her off.
"Kouga. I took karate lessons for twelve years, kendo for eight... I think I can handle myself... but if you don't think so, Rusty can come. I've seen him hunt."
Kouga hesitated. True, she was going to have to earn her keep around there sometime, he just didn't want to be responsible if she got hurt. However, he figured he could protect her should something go wrong, and if she was as good with a sword as she said she was, it might be interesting to see her handle herself against one of the birds. He finally agreed. "Kendo, right? Here," he said, taking off his sheath and sword and giving it to her.
"Don't you need it?" she asked.
"I don't use it much. I'll be fine," he said. "Now let's go."
Naomi hooked the sword to the belt loop on her jeans and she and Kouga walked out of the den and stopped on the ledge. Kouga picked Naomi up by the waist, leaped to the top of the cliff and let her go. They met up with Ginta and Hakkaku and went off a little ways in the direction opposite the den for watch.
They stopped behind a group of boulders and hid. Naomi saw birds everywhere. There had to be at least a hundred of them, probably more.
"So, what now?" Naomi asked in a hushed tone.
"We basically make sure the Birds of Paradise don't head for the den. We aren't going to fight if we don't have to. We loose too many that way." Kouga explained everything and Naomi nodded in confirmation. Then one of the wolf youkai called out, "Kouga, look!"
They had spotted them. "Damn!" Kouga cursed. Ginta and Hakkaku went out and prepared to fight. "You stay back here if you can't do this. If you get down as close to the ground as you can and close to the rocks, They won't be able to get you." Kouga said.
"Kouga, I'm no coward. I'm going to fight." Both Kouga and Naomi jumped from behind the rocks and were immediately attacked by the Birds of Paradise. One headed straight at Naomi, but she pulled out Kouga's sword and slit its neck before it could get her. It fell into a spiral and crashed into some rocks behind her. "Ha!" she exclaimed. Despite the danger these birds could be, she was having fun. She got a brief break from slicing before she heard one yelling a battle cry behind her. She turned and saw one headed straight for her, however, before it could get her, just like the other one, she sliced its neck and it fell straight off the cliff. It was then she was aware of how close to the cliff she was and she could imagine the others falling to their doom like Ginta had said. She shook the thought from her head and turned her attention to Kouga. She noticed he was about to kill a Bird. However, she also noticed one coming in behind him, but it seemed he was unaware. As it got closer to him and he still didn't turn around, Naomi got worried. She ran to him, jumped in the air, and sliced the Bird's neck before it could get to him. She went into a roll and then stood up, the noise attracting Kouga's attention. He killed the Bird and then turned to her, also noticing the bird right next to her. "Did you..."
"Yeah. It was gonna get you, and I panicked..." Naomi explained.
"Thanks," he said with a smile and Naomi obliged with a nod. Suddenly, his eyes moved to behind her . "Look out," he said, jumping high into the air and slicing the bird coming for them. He landed beside Naomi and shook his hand free of the bird's blood. She scrunched her nose in disgust of the blood.
The two looked around for more birds, but they had all mysteriously disappeared. "Kouga! They retreated!" Hakkaku called to him. He was right. No others showed up.
"Naomi, I'm gonna make you my woman," Kouga said unexpectedly, grabbing Naomi gently around the waist and pulling her close to him. "Wolves mate for life, so you're mine now, got that?"
"Me? Are you sure? I'm nothing special." Naomi said, blushing.
"Of course you are. You're beautiful, loyal... You're perfect for me."
Kouga heard something coming from back at the den. "Hold on just a minute." he said, racing off to the edge of the cliff on the den's side. Naomi followed. She saw him jump off. She came up to the edge and peered over.
"And what did I say about eating her?!" he yelled at one of the wolf youkai. Noticing the little fox wasn't near the girl as he usually was, Naomi looked around to find him. She spotted him flying along down a few hundred feet below the cliff. "Hey, Kouga!" she called. He turned to her. "The kid got away. That could prove to be a problem if she's got friends, like the guy with the sword?" Naomi jumped down on a ledge that was a few feet down, then found another and leaped down on it. She continued down three more before she couldn't reach anymore. Kouga noticed and jumped up to help. "Get the girl inside," Kouga called down to the wolf youkai below. "Need some help?" he asked.
"Please," she said simply, and he scooped her up in her arms honeymoon style like he had when he first met her and jumped down to the ledge leading into the den. He let her on her feet and she immediately turned and caught his lips in hers. Kouga almost jumped in surprise, but then he relaxed and started to kiss her back.
"Thank you," she said when they pulled away.
"What for?" he asked confused.
"For everything. In just two days, you've been more of a friend than any of my friends have been in the past six years."
"Then your welcome," he said and kissed her again. "C'mon, Naomi. We have a battle to prepare for."
Kouga and his Tribe gathered behind boulders at the Bird's nest. They covered the skies, hundreds of them. "This is it. Are you ready?" Kouga asked the tribe. They all responded with cheers and war cries.
"This mountain is the nesting place for the Birds?" the human girl asked.
"Yeah and one of them at the top possesses a Sacred Jewel Shard. You have to find out which one."
"Alright," she said plainly.
Suddenly, the girl gasped and Kouga looked up to find out what she was gawking at. He saw the birds gathering around the boulders.
"Damn. They're on to us. Okay, guys. You take on the grunts yourselves. Naomi, you be careful, and remember what I told you on guard duty this morning."
"And you remember what I told you. I'm no coward," Naomi reassured him with a smile.
"Alright," he said, pulling her in for a brief kiss and then turning to the girl. "C'mon, you." He took her around the waist and jumped out from behind the rocks, heading for the cliff. Naomi and the others followed, but only going far enough out to fight. The birds swooped down to attack, but the wolf youkai and Naomi chained, speared and slaughtered most of them before they could ever hit.
Kouga leaped up the mountain, Kagome screaming all the while. He slashed through the Birds trying to block his way. "Kagome. Can you tell which one of them has the jewel shard?"
"I can't concentrate on looking while you're fighting," she said, but then answered, "Up there. It's right ahead of us on that cliff." Kouga jumped to the cliff, but just as he did, the Bird came out, knocking Kouga and the girl half way to the bottom of the cliff. Naomi noticed right away, as she had been keeping him in her eyesight the whole time. She sliced the Bird coming for her with Kouga's sword and then turned to face him. "Kouga!"
He landed on his feet, unhurt, save his ear. Kagome screamed all the way down. The Bird broke through the mountain, spreading its wings and stepping into view. It was twice the size of any of the other birds and had the upper bodies of two people instead of one. It flew out to face Kouga.
"We have been waiting for you," one half of the bird said with a raspy, very inhuman voice. "You have Sacred Jewel Shards. My brother and I have been seeking them everywhere."
"How convenient that you have decided to make a home delivery and come to us. That saves us the trouble of hunting you down." The other one spoke.
"Heh. I've got something to deliver alright," Kouga taunted. "Kagome, where's the Sacred Jewel Shard?"
"I see it! It's in the mouth!" she answered.
"And you'll get a good glimpse at it when we swallow and devourer you!" yelled the first body. Its mouth began to glow and it headed for Kouga and Kagome.
"Kouga!" Naomi yelled again with concern, wishing there was something that she could do to help.
"A wolf and a human. Delicious," it said, ramming into the mountain. Kouga had jumped before it could get them. He landed on the ground and let the girl go. "Naomi. Throw me that spear," Kouga called. Naomi looked around her for the spear Kouga spoke of and spotted it behind her as well as some arrows and a chain. She grabbed it and tossed it to him. "Destroy that thing," she said with an evil grin.
"Where are you going?" Ginta asked. "What are you planning to do?"
"You heard Naomi. I'll cut it's stupid mouth wide open."
"You're not going after the Shard on your own, are you?" Kagome asked.
"I'm the only one strong enough to take that two-headed talking turkey on." He took off up the cliff. "Here goes nothing!"
Just then, another bird swooped down and grabbed Ginta with one of it's claws. "Help!" he yelled, desperately trying to get loose.
Thinking quickly. Naomi turned back to the chain she had seen before. Swinging it in the air above her head, she ran after the bird. She threw the chain and it wrapped around the bird's other leg. If she had waited any longer to react, she wouldn't have been able to catch it. Pulling the chain as hard as she could, Naomi made the bird drop a few feet with a screech.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled at the tribe after she noticed most of them were just watching her. "Help me!" Then Hakkaku and some of the others pitched in, throwing spears and their own chains, dragging it down even further. However, it wasn't enough. Naomi climbed up her chain to Ginta. With her foot, she lifted the chain up to him and told him to take it and hold on tight. Once he took it, Naomi unsheathed Kouga's sword and sliced the bird's foot off with a war cry. Ginta was set loose and he climbed down the chain. Naomi, however, climbed onto the bird's back. Grabbing it by the horn on it's head, she pulled it's head back, exposing it's throat. She put the sword to it. "You can let go, now," Naomi called down to the pack. They pulled the chains so they fell off and the bird and it hovered there for a moment, afraid that if it moved, it would be decapitated.
"Now take me up to Kouga," Naomi said and the bird obeyed, not wanting to be hurt. She flew up to Kouga, noticing he had stopped half way up the cliff and was staring down at something.
"What?" She asked, turning to find what he was looking at. There was a guy with white hair and dog ears and was dressed in all red. She also saw a monk and a youkai hunter, both riding a neko youkai, and most of the birds were gone from the sky.
"It's that damn Mutt Face. He's the last thing I need right now," he told Naomi. "I don't have time for dog training today, so I'll let you escape," he called down to the hanyou. "Go home, puppy. Get out of my face."
"Shut up!" the hanyou yelled back. "Dream on, wolf. You're gonna pay for kidnapping Kagome."
"I'll bet even I could bring you down," Naomi yelled at the hanyou, not even knowing who he was, but when she saw the chance to defend her new friend, she wasn't about to miss out. "I highly doubt you could do anything to make him pay."
While Naomi yelled down at InuYasha, Kouga started up the cliff. InuYasha noticed and started to follow him. Kouga heard the wind brushing through clothes and turned to find the hanyou following him. "Stupid Mutt. I thought I told you, I'm too busy. Go play fetch somewhere else."
"Kouga! It's about another fifty feet up," Kagome called from the ground and InuYasha stopped to look down at her.
"Fifty feet up? Cause there's nothing at the peak." Kouga looked up to find the bird, but to no avail. Then, suddenly, it flew out from the clouds, headed straight for him. Hearing the wind beneath it's wings, Kouga turned and saw it, and jumped, causing it to crash into the cliff as it did before. It headed up after Kouga. He noticed and kicked off the mountain again, going even higher. When it opened it's mouth to eat him, Kouga shoved the spear into the bird's mouth. "Chew on this!" Kouga yelled. However, he underestimated the jaw-power of the gigantic bird. It bit down on the spear, breaking the handle and gnawing down on Kouga's arm. It started flying at a faster pace, trying to tear his arm off for the shard.
"Kouga!" Naomi yelled for the third time that battle. She started up the mountain for him and the bird.
The bird grinded it's teeth on Kouga's arm, breaking the skin. His youkai blood spilled in the bird's mouth. "Damn it," Kouga yelled and kicked the bird's teeth, shattering them and setting him free. Unfortunately, the wound in his arm let the Jewel Shard loose and the bird caught it. Kouga fell to the peek, dust flying up, a huge crater formed where he fell.
Naomi flew over the peek, sliced the bird's neck and jumped off it, running over to Kouga, calling his name again. He had climbed to his knees by the time she had reached him and was clutching his right arm, blood pouring through his fingers. He didn't look at her, however. His eyes were fixed on the bird, which now had his shard as well as its own.
"Damn it. It's coming back for the Shards in my legs," he said grimly.
"Aw, hell no," Naomi said, stepping in between Kouga and the bird, going into a fighting stance with the sword, ready to strike.
"Naomi, don't," Kouga pleaded. "You're gonna get hurt."
"Kouga, I'm not just gonna stand idol while that thing tears you up for your Jewel Shards, whatever the hell they are."
Just then, InuYasha came over the cliff and walked in between Kouga, Naomi and the super powered Bird of Paradise.
"Oh, great," Naomi said irritated at the hanyou's presence.
"Why are you here?" Kouga asked also annoyed.
"Shut up and take notes, fleabag. You're about to witness some real power, now," the hanyou said. The bird with the shards opened it's mouth wide as it stared down at the three.
"He has two shards left!" one of the bodies exclaimed.
"I know! Think of the power we'll have when we take them!" said the other, and both then laughed maniacally. It's mouth glowed with twice the light as it had before and InuYasha drew back his sword. The very chill that had ran through his back earlier that day came back and Kouga shivered.
InuYasha sliced through the air, a wave of light heading straight for the bird. It exploded into a million or so pieces, chunks disintegrating in thin air.
"Holy shit..." Naomi said startled. She and Kouga gawked as the pieces of the massive bird disappeared in an instant, realizing the hanyou's power.
The youkai hunter flew up the side of the cliff on the neko and picked up Kouga and Naomi, InuYasha jumping down the cliff ahead of them. She flew down the side to the group below. Naomi helped Kouga off and the two went to the tribe. Kouga collapsed to his knees and Naomi kneeled down after him. Concerned he was going to fall over, she made him sit down and leaned him against her.
InuYasha stepped out from behind some of the wolf youkai. "I single-handedly got rid of the pigeon from hell. Now there's just this fleabag wolf to deal with."
"You aren't gonna touch him, Mutt Face," Naomi said, imitating what Kouga had called him.
"C'mon, InuYasha. The guy's hurt," Kagome said looking down at Kouga and Naomi. This is no time for posturing."
"Never mind. This is nothing," Kouga said, attempting to stand.
"Kouga, don't fight this idiot. He's not even worth your time," Naomi said, trying desperately to get him to lie back down.
"Trying to get me while I'm down?" Kouga said, ignoring Naomi's attempts. She stood up with him incase his legs gave way. "Well I'm still able to whoop ya."
"Again with the insults," InuYasha said smugly. "You're dead!" he yelled and plunged for Kouga.
"InuYasha, sit boy," Kagome said and the hanyou was pulled to the ground.
Kouga started to collapse again, but Naomi caught him and helped him down gently.
"Get him out of here," Kagome said.
Ginta and Hakkaku moved to their leader and Naomi got out of their way.
"Here, Kouga," Ginta said.
"Take my arm," Hakkaku said. They picked him up and the tribe ran off, Naomi keeping an eye on him all the way back to the den.
With her arm around his waist, the other holding his left wrist with his arm over her shoulder, Naomi walked Kouga to the bed and laid him down, going off to the backpack a few feet away. She pulled out the black, leather covered book from an outside pocket and opened it to its index.
Kouga lifted himself up on his left elbow and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going out to find something to put on that," Naomi said, gesturing to the huge gash in his right forearm.
"I'll be fine. I don't want you going out right now anyway. It's dangerous out at night."
"Muggers, youkai, I don't care. I can hold my own if need be. If you're that worried I can take Rusty, or even one of the others, but I don't like the looks of that thing."
"Naomi, you aren't going out there," Kouga said, commanding her to stay.
Naomi kneeled down beside Kouga. "Kouga, I'm just going to the top of the cliff to get you some healing herbs. You know I can protect myself."
"I know, but I don't want to take chances."
"I'm still going," Naomi said stubbornly.
Kouga let a little growl escape his lips. "Then I'm going, too."
"You're too week from the battle. You'd be in more danger than I would be."
Kouga climbed to his feet and pulled Naomi up. She probably would have resisted, but in his current state, she didn't want to pull him over. "I'm a youkai. I recover quickly. See? I can walk now."
"Fine," she said with a defeated sigh and turned to the page on healing potions. "This is what we'll need."
Kouga scanned the page, recognizing the names and pictures of all the herbs. "I know where all of these are. Let's go." Kouga shakily set off for the exit of the cave. Naomi caught up to him and settled under his arm and put her arm around his waist. "I said I could walk," Kouga said.
"I know. I just like being here," Naomi said with a smile. She was only half lying, though. True, she still thought he might fall, but she did kind of like being under his strong arm. She felt like she belonged there, like she simply belonged for the first time in years.
Am I falling for this guy, she wondered to herself. It was hard not to. He was protecting her, and he cared for her in a way neither her mother nor father ever did, or any guy back in the present would. Yes, she was sure of it. She was falling for him.
Naomi took a path up to the top of the cliff, as she wouldn't let Kouga risk getting hurt by leaping to the top. A part of her knew that he could, but the other half... well, all of her knew he could do it without getting hurt, but she was enjoying walking beside him, more than, she realized, she enjoyed being carried by him. She stared up at the stars and noticed she could see so many more than she could from her time. "So many stars," she said, gazing contentedly into the night sky. "You can't even see half as many at my place," she noted.
Kouga looked up, taking in the beauty Naomi was and smiled. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Then Naomi turned her attention to the moon, figuring Kouga, having the bit of wolf in his blood, would be more interested in it than the stars. It was almost full that night, and shining the brightest she'd ever seen it. It was stunning, and she realized then why wolves cried to the moon. "The moon is amazing tonight," she commented. Kouga agreed with a nod and a smile.
They reached the top of the cliff and collected the herbs for the potion. They went back down to the den and Naomi and Kouga sat on the bed, leaning against the wall, Naomi starting to ground the herbs in one of the hand-made bowls.
"Why do you care so much about what happens to me?" Naomi asked out of the blue.
"What are you talking about?" Kouga asked. "Why wouldn't I care."
"No one's never cared about me like you do. Not my mother and not my father, not my friends, so why should you?"
"I'm not like them," Kouga said concerned. "Naomi, is there anything you want to tell me about your family... or anything you should tell me?"
"I guess you do have a right to know... My family has never been a really good one. My mother divorced my father when I was four, so I didn't understand much, but I did know my mom made Dad go away and I got mad at her for it. Dad was so much nicer than her, or at least that's what he made me believe.
"Five years ago, Mom finally told me why she divorced him. It turned out, he had raped me several times. I didn't remember any of it though, so she took me to a shrink. Within six sessions, I started to remember, and that's when I started hating my father. And Mom got back on my good side.
"Three years after that, my mother got back with him, and I started hating her again. Then, well I told you how he died. He made some goddamn deal with a fucking gang and when he couldn't pay the drug money, They blew his fucking head in. Served him right, though. He was never paid for anything he did wrong until then and I was just fine with it." Kouga noticed she started grinding the herbs harder as she came to talk of something painful. Her scent had changed as well. He could tell she was pouring all of her emotion into her story. He could almost feel her pain...He started running his nails up and down her arm, trying to calm her down.
"That was when mom turned into a paranoid freak-out and wouldn't let me or my brother--who, by the way was raped by my father as well-- go anywhere that entire year. After that, when she finally did let us go out, we weren't aloud to go out after the sun had set and nowhere until it was ten in the morning unless it was to go to school, and even then, she would have to drive us over.
"A few months ago, my mother and brother got into a huge fight, about what, I never did find out. I was out at the mall with my 'friends' when it happened. I came home and there he was, dead, face down on the floor, blood everywhere. My mother was in the corner of the room under a table, a bloody knife beside her, rocking herself back and forth, a bear bottle in her hand to comfort her. She was so drunk...
"So many times did I think of escaping, running away from her and that god-forsaken hellhole, but... I never did. Why, I don't know, but when I saw the opportunity to run away with you, I took it."
Kouga sat silently while she slowly calmed down. Suddenly, the distinct salty smell of tears filled the air and he saw her shoulders jump with a sob. She set the bowl of herbs beside her and climbed into Kouga's lap, crying into his armor.
"Oh, Naomi," he said with concern. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." He wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her by rocking her back and forth.
Naomi wrapped her arms tighter around him, happy someone was holding her. No one had ever held her as he did, out of pure love and concern. He held her tighter as she let her tears fall freely and kissed her gently on the top of her head. He held her until her sobs came to a slow. "Thank you..." Naomi sobbed.
"For what?" he asked softly.
"For everything. Being so kind..." she trailed off in tears again.
He wiped her tears from her beautiful face with the ball of his thumb and planted another light kiss on her forehead. He was sorry he even brought it up.
Naomi fell asleep like that, her tears finally ceasing a few minutes later. Kouga looked at her peaceful form. No. She wasn't quite peaceful, but she wasn't as upset. He reached over to a fur blanket in the corner and pulled it over Naomi and watched her as she slept.