Chapter 7

four months later...

Inumouru was getting quite big now and was crawling all over any thing or anyone who was on the floor. Currently he was climbing over his uncle Inuyasha. The toddler was enthralled with the beads around the lord's neck. He put them in his mouth, which is where he put everything.

Inuyasha put his hand up to get them out when the little demon's eyes flashed bright red and he grabbed Inuyasha's hand and bit down hard. "Owww." It was hard to tell who was more shocked. Inuyasha over the pain or the toddler over the noise his uncle made.

"Inumouru, you bad little pup! You mustn't bite your uncle. Come here." Katame rushed over to take away the errant child. "You are lucky your uncle doesn't spank you on the bottom." She scolded the boy.

Inuyasha rubbed his hand. "Spank, I ought to... Hmmff." and put his hand in his mouth.

"Give the boy back to his uncle, Katame." Came the firm voice of his father, Sesshoumaru.

Katame looked up at her husband questioningly.

"Now, Katame. Give the boy to Inuyasha."

She hesitated but obeyed her husband and handed the boy over.

Inuyasha took the boy.

Sesshoumaru now said to Inuyasha. "Do what you will with the boy."

"NO, he's just a baby." Katame and Kagome both protested.

"He must learn." Sesshoumaru was unmovable.

Inuyasha held the child up to his face and growled loudly showing his fangs. "Don't bite!" He ordered.

The babe whimpered inconsolably and reached for his mother. Katame reached out but Sesshoumaru stopped her "The boy must learn his place."

Inuyasha put him down on the floor and the youngster rolled over showing his tummy whimpering terribly. Inuyasha looked down at the boy and said firmly "Good! Now don't do that again." he handed him to his mother "Next time I spank." He warned.

Katame and Kagome looked at each other. "What was that?" Kagome asked puzzled.

"That is the way we train our pups. We growl to show dominance. It is instinct for the one who did wrong to offer the stomach because it is the most vulnerable to attack. It is the best apology that the child could offer. He knows he did wrong. Now he has been warned, he will not repeat the offense, or else. By the way, what is this thing you call spank?"

Katame spoke up. "Kagome taught me that word. It means to beat on the ..." and she motioned to her hind end.

Sesshoumaru laughed. "I have done this thing to you as well as to Kagome, I didn't know you humans had a name for it."

In the hills above Sesshoumaru's palace a familiar figure was running, a whirlwind at his feet. He was Kouga the leader of the wolf people. He had the look of one who made a life for himself, out in the wild. Fur was his only adornment, worn at the hips, wrists and ankles. He wore a leather breast plate. He was an impressive image of savagery, and he was coming for one thing... to gain Kagome for his wife.

He knew she was here. The villagers had told him that she was staying with Sesshoumaru's new wife and Inuyasha. All he had to do was destroy that pup Inuyasha and she would be his.

Inuyasha had gone into the garden with Kagome when he caught the scent. "Damn! Kagome get inside."

"What? Why?" Kagome asked getting up from where she was seated.

"Kouga!" That one word said it all. The demon had been trying to get Kagome for himself ever since he first laid eyes on her. This time the battle would be to the death for now she was the mate of Inuyasha.

Within moments He could see Kouga coming the crystal shards embedded in his arm and legs whipping up a great wind.

The demon Landed in a crouching position in front of Inuyasha. "Where is she!" He demanded. "Where is my mate Kagome? Bring her to me, NOW!"

"Kouga, I told you before I'm not your mate. now leave me alone!" Kagome had not gone inside as Inuyasha had told her.

Kouga took a step forward. "You will be..." He stopped and sniffed. "WHAT!" He screamed in fury. Pouncing forward toward Kagome. "You mated with that useless pup! I will kill you for this outrage!" Then he stopped and looking directly at Inuyasha he said. "No, I will make you a widow first and then take you as a slave to use at will. That will be my prize."

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled. The thought that Kouga would even thinking of treating 'his Kagome' that way was more than he could stand. Drawing the great sword tetsaiga. "I will have your head Kouga!"

"You could not take it before, you will not be able to this time either, PUP."

"Listen wolf-boy, Kagome is mine. And I'm not about to let the likes of you anywhere near her." Inuyasha raced toward Kouga with his great sword raised to strike. "Kagome Get inside. now!"

He swung the tetsaiga but Kouga had already moved out to the side and dealt Inuyasha a powerful kick in the side. He crashed into the fountain knocking it over breaking it into pieces.

"That's your problem, pup, you're too slow." Kouga came at him, his fists ready to deal what would be a fatal blow. But instead Inuyasha was able to dodge Kouga and land him a fierce hit to the back of the neck sending Kouga head long into the ground setting off an earthquake and splitting the ground.

Inuyasha was on top of him in seconds giving Kouga another powerful punch sending him flying back-words.

All of this had transpired in just seconds.

Sesshoumaru, arrived in time to see Kouga land in a heap of dirt and debris. He knew this one and that he and his brother Inuyasha were evenly matched. Inuyasha was defending his honour. Sesshoumaru would let his brother be. For now, he would watch.

"Aren't you going to help?" Kagome was annoyed. "He would help you."

"My brother has things well in hand. If I see different, then perhaps."

"Perhaps!" Kagome yelled not believing that he would be so callous.

"Kagome." Sesshoumaru turned his head and looked at her. "Your husband defends his right to be your mate. Kouga does not wish you dead, as my enemies wished Katame dead. This one wishes to have you for his own. Inuyasha must fight for the right to keep you for himself. That is why I do not interfere. To do so would imply that Inuyasha was weak and thereby unfit to keep you."

The battle raged on Kouga had recovered from the last blow and was now trying to bring down the full force of his fists down toward Inuyasha.

Inuyasha raised his great sword and yelled. "scar of the wind!" Bringing his great sword down hitting the ground. A fierce wind erupted and the ground cracked opened . Fissures opened up in the ground and raced toward Kouga threatening to swallow him up.

Kouga was knocked of his feet and sent flying sideways. Quickly he rolled away from danger but he was badly hurt and could fight no longer. He had just barely escaped the full force of the tetsaiga.

Thoroughly beaten and bleeding from many places, Kouga took the cowards way out. Instead of facing death at the hands of the victorious lord he turned and ran for his very life, vowing in his heart to return to again and claim the beautiful Kagome.

Inuyasha was about to chase down and finish off the troublesome demon when he heard the voice of Sesshoumaru.

"Let him go, my brother. He is beaten and you have defended your right to keep Kagome. There will be another fight another time and perhaps then, he will not be such a coward and accept your wrath." He touched Inuyasha's shoulder.

Inuyasha winced. His shoulder had been damaged in the fight in fact there was not much of him that was not hurting but... he looked at his wife, she was still his. "Yeah, you're right that idiot will be back again but next time I won't waste my breath on him, I will just lop off his head and be done with him."

"And next time I will be able to help you without destroying your honour." Noted Sesshoumaru.

"Thanks." Inuyasha took his wife by the arm and limped back toward the house.

"Kagome you and I are going to 'discuss' your lack of hearing. I told you to go inside. Why didn't you go?"

"What?" Kagome was incensed. "And let you fight for me like some trophy? No way. I..."

Inuyasha tightened his grip his eyes turning dangerously red. "Kagome! That's it. Your tail is mine." He took her to his chamber. His tucked Kagome under his arm and ordered. "Count to ten!" and promptly paddled her bottom hard ten times. Standing her on her feet he held her tightly by the arms.

"Don't you ever put yourself in that kind of danger again! It's hard enough to fight without worrying about what's happening to you. Do you understand me?" He yelled at her. Kagome looked up at her husband, tears in her eyes. Inuyasha had never hit her before. Why was he so angry with her? It's not like she did anything out of the ordinary.

"You hit me!" She cried. "Why? I always stay nearby when you fight in case you need my help."

"Kagome, you are my wife, I have to protect you from creeps like Kouga. Do you have any idea what he could do to you. That little tap I gave you is nothing compared to being raped by an angry demon. Ask Katame, she knows. She suffered under Sesshoumaru for weeks before she conceived." Inuyasha was upset. He had never had to discipline Kagome and seeing her cry, drove the point home all the harder.

"You have to listen to me, Kagome." His voice softened. "I need to be focused in a battle. If I tell you to get inside, do it. It's for your own good." He held her close to his chest and rubbed her back. "You do understand don't you?"

Kagome nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. She wished she could crawl off into a hole and hide somewhere. It was bad enough Inuyasha had hit her but he was really angry and disappointed with her. She felt terribly ashamed and her bottom really hurt. She pulled away from him and went to sit by herself. Inuyasha left her alone, he could think of nothing else to say.