Disclaimer: All characters from Inu Yasha are © Rumiko Takahashi.
A/N: Wow, it always amazes how many typos and missing words I find when I reread a chapter. And I've probably still missed a few, but oh well. So here is chapter two.
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Chapter Two: …they're more like guidelines.
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Kouga left his audience with the Elder to discover that there was a feast going on. Hakaku and Ginta were telling of his exploits, and the moment he was spotted Shino asked that he tell the tale of how Naraku was finally defeated.
"Of course," replied Kouga in a voice loud enough for all assembled to hear, "but first get me some food."
The other wolves all gathered around him as he sat down in a corner of the cave where Hakaku and Ginta had been sitting. Kouga loved being the center of attention, but the one person he found himself truly wanting to impress was no where to be seen. Ayame seemed to have vanished after she left the Elder's room. Was she truly trying to avoid him then?
"So was it a fierce battle?" prompted Shino as he sat down in front of Kouga with a large plate of food. Kouga brought his attention back to his audience and the plate of warm food before him.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," he replied as he bit into a large hunk of meat. He then proceeded to tell them the tale of how Naraku was finally defeated around large mouthfuls of food, and of course with his own embellishments. By the end of the tale he would have everyone believing that it was him instead of Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru who dealt the final death blow. The other wolves cheered him and sung his praises. He could hear bits of conversation that alluded to the fact that now that Kouga was with them the other tribes would be sorry and other similar comments. However, while these comments brought a smile to his face, he could also hear whispers of uncertainty that ran along the lines of "Sure he beat Naraku, but he had the jewel shards. Can he still help us without them?", which were too numerous for his liking.
However, Kouga only momentarily regretted the exaggeration in his role in Naraku's defeat since he felt that he could in deed handle the problem that they were now facing, with or without those blasted shards. The thought made him wonder once again where Ayame had gotten off to. She didn't show up even once during his tale, he knew because he had been looking for her the entire time.
Deciding that the others were now happily engrossed in their own conversations and retellings of the events he exited the cave as stealthily as possible. The cave was not overly large so he would have seen or smelled her if she still remained there, which left outside the cave as her only possible location.
The moment the night air hit his nose he knew where to find her. Glancing up he could see her small feet dangling over the rocks that formed the entrance to the cave. He knew she had gone there to be alone and that he should probably leave her be, but he needed to talk to her. She had been acting so strangely earlier and he needed to know how she felt. Did she still want him to keep his promise? Or, had she moved on?
Kouga leapt gracefully up to the ledge Ayame was seated on. Her silhouette against the moonlight made him more aware of her as a woman and not just the kid he'd saved all those years ago. He had survived his fight with Naraku. The thought of him failing had been one of the main reasons he'd pushed her push away. At that time he had wanted her to forget about the moon's rainbow and his promise, but he was alive and any competition (if you could even call it that) Ayame may have had was gone.
The Elder's request for him to protect her rung in his ears and, as before, he knew he did not need to be told that. He would protect her as he had in the past. As much as he had wished for his carefree life style to return he knew that after the events of the past few months that it was only a dream. He needed to become the leader that everyone thought he was and ensure that the Northern tribe saw a good end to all of this madness. To do that he would have to keep Ayame safe and if he kept his promise to her then he would always be by her side to protect her. But, did she still want that? Her attitude towards him could be explained away by her wanting to appear strong in the eyes of her grandfather, but she had been unusually cold towards him.
"Ayame," he called softly. He knew she must know he was there, but he would not interrupt if she did not want him there. She turned her face towards him to acknowledge him. "May I join you?" At her slight nod he moved to take a seat next to her.
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Ayame was slightly surprised that he had come to seek her out. Before, she had been the one to do all of the chasing. Now she just wanted to be out of the way for the tribe's good as well as her own. For in reality she knew Kouga joining her would be a bad idea. However, it would appear rude and in truth she was curious about something. Even out here she had been able to hear the details about the final battle with Naraku. She smiled from ear to ear when she heard how heroic Kouga had been, but he had left out the part that she was most interested in knowing.
"Kouga," she began once he was seated next to her, "what happened to Kagome?" She looked over at him to see a fairly blank expression on his face. He sat there with his legs hanging over the side of the cliff while leaning back on his hands staring out into space for a few more moments before answering.
"She went home," he replied simply. There was a touch of sadness in his voice, but she cheered a little internally at the fact that he did not seem overly heart broken over the whole affair.
She had known all along that Kouga was in a one sided love affair, and she was sorry that he was hurt, but she was secretly grateful the competition was gone. This meant that once this trouble with the other tribes was solved she might be able to win Kouga's affections. But, for now she had to stop thinking about it. She must put her tribe's needs before her own.
"Ayame," Kouga's voice drew her out of her thoughts. "Now that Naraku has been defeated I - "
"You are a hero among our people," she finished for him. She knew that was not where he was going with that statement. The tone of his voice suggested a conversation of a more intimate nature was going to occur.
"Well, I suppose," he replied sounding a bit confuse, "but I need to kn-"
"You need to know more about the other leaders' plans right?" She interrupted once more.
"Yes, but I'm sure I'll learn more when we meet," he replied once more, but this time irritation had replaced the confusion in his voice. "What I need to know now is if you still want me to -," he paused and raised his hand to cover her mouth as she began to interrupt him again. Damn. "Do you want me to keep my promise to you?"
He slowly removed his hand from her mouth so that she could answer, but the answer wouldn't come. His voice was so comforting, but he made no indication of if it was something he wanted too. Would he only marry her because of a promise? Ayame did not want that. She wanted Kouga to love her the way she loved him.
She looked away from him, turning her gaze to the distant horizon. Even with the moonlight it was still too dark to make out any shapes, but it gave her something to focus on while she thought. Perhaps, Kouga needed to see how good of a leader she could be. She would have to show him that she wasn't that scared little kid anymore. Then maybe he would be able to return her feelings in the same way.
"It doesn't matter now," she said with a level voice while trembling on the inside. "The reunification of the tribes is what is important right now." She didn't look back at him. She couldn't. She was afraid her face might betray her words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go check on grandfather."
She stood and left the ledge before he could say anything, if he was even going to say anything. It was entirely possible that he was happy about her decision, a thought which did not sit well with her. But, she had made her choice, the tribe would come first.
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It was nearing evening and the messengers had yet to return, but the Elder seemed confident that it would not be much longer. Kouga was just leaving his den when he spotted Ayame speaking with some of her men. He turned to go speak with her, but she quickly excused herself from the men and walked quickly and rather obviously away from Kouga. Kouga could only shrug at the glances her men gave him.
It had been like that all day. He didn't think they had said more than two words to each other since breakfast. It only added to the growing idea that Ayame had in fact moved on and was no longer interested in him, either that or she was mad at him.
After she had left last night he sat on the cliff a while longer mulling over her words. He could hear echoes of his words regarding Narkau ringing in his ears. She was putting something that she considered of greater importance over her own feelings, but what those feelings were anymore he was not sure. And, of course, the ever present fear that she no longer thought he was good enough for her him because he was not as powerful without the jewel shards continued to rumble around in his brain.
But, she was right. For now it would not matter, and as long as she didn't push him completely away he would be able to protect her. When this was over they would discuss his promise, but that did not mean he was not curious as to where her feelings lay.
A call from the cave entrance brought him out of his thoughts. The messengers had returned. Kouga didn't rush forward like the rest, he knew the messengers orders were to report back to the Elder, and so he waited. Moments later the messengers appeared with Ayame leading the way to her grandfather's den. With only a nod he followed her inside.
"Elder," began Shino, "The other leaders agreed to the meeting."
"They wish to meet at noon tomorrow on flat peak," continued Montaro, the other messenger.
"Good," replied the Elder, "Did you have any trouble getting the message to them?"
"No Elder," answered Shino, "It almost seemed like they were expecting us."
"I see, very well then," replied the Elder. "Kouga, Ayame, it should take no more than half a day to get to flat peak. If you leave in the morning you should get there on time, but be on your guard."
"Of course Elder," replied Kouga. He noticed that Ayame nodded, but she did not speak. From the sound of it, Takeo and Ryoku must have had spies watching the Northern tribe, a fact which would leave anyone feeling ill at ease.
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"Kouga, should we come with you?" asked Hakaku as Ayame and Kouga exited the cave's entrance the following morning.
"No," replied Kouga, "This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting, and if Takeo and Ryoku stick to the code they will come alone as well." Ayame thought she heard a bit of doubt in his voice, but she too carried the same hope.
"But, Kouga," questioned Ginta, "Shino said it might be a trap. You can't go there knowing that."
"I can and I will," replied Kouga. Ayame wished she could be half as assertive when giving orders. "Besides, since when do you two ever want to risk your lives?" The pair looked a little affronted at the accusation of being cowards.
"But Kouga, you don't have the je-," Hakaku's statement was cut short due to a quick blow to the head by Ginta. However, Kouga's eyes narrowed. He knew where Hakaku was going with that statement as did Ayame. Hakaku was concerned that Kouga was no longer as strong as he used to be since he didn't possess the jewel shards any more. Kouga glanced at her briefly, but she couldn't read his expression.
"It doesn't matter," replied Kouga. Ayame could hear the irritation in his voice. Kouga obviously didn't like that his own men thought him weak due to his loss. "You two will wait here with the rest of the Northern tribe. Ayame let's go." He turned quickly and began an easy run towards flat peak.
Ayame waved to Hakaku and Ginta and smiled briefly as she turned to follow Kouga. They were only worried about him, but the loss of the jewel shards must still be a sore spot for him. Looking back, when he glanced at her it almost seemed like he was silently apologizing for no longer having them. He should know that she did not care about the shards. She never did. She knew him before he came to possess the jewel shards and, even if it was a child's fancy at the time, she'd always believed he was strong.
Kouga was a true leader. He cared about his men and the honor of his tribe. He was also kind. Oh, he doesn't show it often, but Kouga possesses a heart of gold, she mused to herself as she ran silently behind Kouga.
They ran at an easy pace for most of the morning, neither saying anything. Ayame didn't really know what to say and Kouga looked focused on the task ahead. So, she was content to run with him, though she could wish their little trip was happening under better circumstances. She hoped that Ryoku and Takeo kept with the code, but she was somewhat leery of that idea. They had proven themselves to be little more than scoundrels in the last couple of months. She was prevented from following a train of thought that would curse Ryoku and Takeo to whatever hell was the worse when it was their time by Kouga suddenly slowing down.
She kept pace with him noticing that he was quite obviously smelling the area. When they finally came to a complete stop he closed his eyes and continued his exploration. When he finally opened them again he looked mildly confused. She had tried to identify what it was that he might smell that was out of place, but nothing triggered any warnings in her head.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I…I'm not sure," he answered as he took another deep breath. "I thought I caught an all too familiar scent a moment ago, but it's gone. And…" He stopped and turned to face her. "And, it shouldn't even exist anymore." The look of confusion in his features was almost troubling. Whatever it was that he had smelled had unnerved him and it was starting to get to her.
"Do you want to turn back?" she asked knowing full well that they had to continue. But felt that she should at least offer the possibility to him.
"No," he replied as he returned to his old self. "We don't want to keep those two waiting now do we?" He grinned at her and began to run once more towards flat peak. He looked like he was back to his old self, but Ayame could tell that something was still bothering him. Whatever it was she hoped it wouldn't interfere with their meeting. She wanted to get this problem resolved and be on their way back to her den before evening. If her nose was right they might be able to make it back before the oncoming storm broke over them.
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Kouga slowed his pace once more as they approached the canyon that lead up to flat peak. The smell that had bothered him earlier was still rattling around in the back of his head. It couldn't be possible that he was still alive. But, the fact that Kouga had smelled that vile scent even for a moment had put him on edge. He hadn't meant to worry Ayame, but he didn't want to keep anything from her either. She was going to be the leader of her tribe and needed to be treated as one.
Kouga glanced back at Ayame as they made their way up the canyon. She smiled at him and nodded. At least she didn't appear mad at him for anything he had said the other night, though her smile was one more of encouragement than happiness. He hoped that it was more for their up coming conference than the strange scent from earlier. She needed to concentrate on what needed to be said and done to rectify the problems that had sprung up between the tribes.
Kouga had been away from the political dealings with the other tribes for so long that he no longer understood what was going on and why the other two leaders would feel the need to take over the Northern wolf tribe's territories. The reasons that Ayame and the Elder explained to him did not make any sense. There was no way the Northern tribe could have done anything against the monster that had threatened their lands. It had taken all he had with the added help of the jewel shards to take it out.
He had practically grown up with Takeo, and Ryoku was only a little older than he was, but they were all relatively close in their younger days. Ryoku could be a bit of an ass when he wanted to, but Kouga never thought Takeo was capable of pulling this kind of a stunt. No, something was definitely wrong with Takeo and Ryoku, but what could it be?
"Kouga," called Ayame softly from behind him, "we are almost there." If front of them the walls of the canyon were diminishing as they opened up to what they called flat peak. The area was given that name due to the fact that it looked like the top of the mountain was sliced clean off. Kouga dropped back so he was walking beside her. If they entered together if would give them a more unified appearance, which is what they wanted the other two leaders to see. It would no longer be two against one.
As they reached the top Kouga could see Takeo and Ryoku standing at the opposite end of the peak. Takeo looked the same as always. White hair pulled back in a neat pony tail which reflected the color of his fur he wore around his waist. Ryoku looked a little more haggard than when Kouga had seen him last. He sported a scar over his left eye, but he looked like he was trying to hide it with some of his brown hair hanging down over his face.
"Kouga, it's been a long time," called Ryoku as he and Ayame approached the other two leaders.
"I've been busy," replied Kouga, "but then again it looks like you two have been busy as well." Ryoku scowled slightly, but Takeo's expression was a little more puzzling. He almost looked ashamed.
"Ayame, you have come in your grandfather's place I take it?" asked Ryoku ignoring Kouga's comment.
"I have," answered Ayame. Kouga grinned at the strong confidence he could hear in her voice. "I have come to discuss the hostilities that your tribes have been waging against mine."
"That is not the purpose of this meeting," replied Ryoku, "the Northern tribe owes us for our assistance after that monster ravaged your lands. Your grandfather denied us our requests so now we will take it all from you. You will surrender to us."
"That has never been our way Ryoku." Kouga's comment caught the attention of everyone. "Ryoku, Takeo, your tribes offered their assistance freely and the Northern tribe accepted. I know in the future they would gladly repay the favor if the need arose, but what you demanded of them was robbery. A section of the Northern territory for each of your tribes is ridiculous."
"This is not your concern Kouga," growled Ryoku.
"But it is," replied Kouga his voice remaining calm when he really wanted to reach out and knock some sense into Ryoku. "The Northern tribe has always been an ally to me…and to you both. What's possessed you to demand something like this of them?"
"We are just getting what is owed to us!" shouted Ryoku.
"How can you say that after what the Northern tribe went through?" asked Ayame. "That monster killed so many of my kin and destroyed much of our land, how can you say we owe anything to you?"
"We helped you afterward by supplying you with food until the game returned to your territory," answered Ryoku. "Without our help your tribe would have starved!"
"If we'd known your help would come at such a price we would have never accepted." Ayame's voice remained calm, but Kouga could see the fire in her eyes. This meeting was going no where fast and in too many circles. Yet, Takeo had remained silent the entire time.
"Takeo, is this what you believe as well?" asked Kouga interrupting whatever argument Ryoku and Ayame were having.
"Of course it is," replied Ryoku.
"I was not talking to you Ryoku, I asked Takeo," shot back Kouga. "Takeo, is this really what you want to do?"
"I don't…," he began, but paused as his face scrunched up as if he was in pain, "This is what is owed to our tribes." The words came out but they sounded hollow to Kouga's ears.
"If that is the case then I can't allow you to do this." Ryoku smirked at Kouga's comment and Takeo only looked on blankly. Something was not right.
"I knew you would feel that way," replied Ryoku. The smell of dozens of wolves and wolf-demons suddenly met Kouga's nose. It was a trap, but how did they not sense them sooner. It was like they just suddenly appeared.
"You would break the code as well!" shouted Ayame. Kouga turned to see a mixture of men from the Eastern and Western tribes blocking the exit to the peak.
"With both of you gone we'll take the North and South with little trouble," smirked Ryoku. "It was so good of you to deliver yourselves to us."
"You treacherous beasts!" shouted Ayame as she lunged at Ryoku, but he easily dodged her attack.
"You don't think this will stop us do you?" asked Kouga, confidence in his voice, as he waved at the other leader's men.
"Oh I think they can," replied Ryoku, "after all you no longer possess the jewel shards." Kouga's eyes narrowed as he glared at Ryoku, so they too thought he was nothing without those damn shards. He would prove them wrong. "Get him," commanded Ryoku with a wave of his hand. A wave of wolves and demons began to rush at Kouga as Ayame joined him.
"You need to get out of here," growled Kouga as he prepared to deal with his attackers.
"I'm not leaving you. There are too many," replied Ayame as the first group of attackers reached them.
They fought back to back as they came. The wolves fell easily enough, but each demon took a little more out of both of them. Kouga could see that Ayame was getting tired and their opponents just kept coming. As it was they had been backed into a corner. The edge of the peak was now behind them and a sea of wolves and wolf-demons spread out before them. Kouga could see Ryoku standing towards the back with a grin of victory on his face. Kouga had tried to press through the masses to get to him, but it was just not possible.
A scream brought him out of his thoughts. Turning he saw that Ayame had received a wound to her arm and was being set upon by numerous demons. Reacting quickly Kouga took out as many as he could as he went to help Ayame. They had to get out of here and regroup. He scooped Ayame up into his arms and glanced behind him. There really is no other option he thought as he made his decision and jumped. He just hoped the river at the bottom of the cliff was as deep as he remembered it being.
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Takeo watched in horror as their men began to attack Kouga and Ayame. He had wanted to stop this insanity, but he did not have the power to do so. His will was no longer his own.
"That idiot," commented Ryoku, "Does he really think he can run from us?" Ryoku's maniacal laughter echoed in Takeo's ears.
"Kouga has always been strong, you know that," replied Takeo.
"And he has always thought he was better than us." The glare in Ryoku's eyes was murderous. "He won't be thinking that for much longer. Men, bring me their bodies. If they survived…kill them."
Takeo nodded to his men as well, but it was not him nodding. He'd tried to fight back, but was unable to. Ryoku on the other hand seemed to be enjoying the added power that small half-demon was giving him. Takeo could only hope in silence that Kouga and Ayame figured out someway to defeat them.
"That won't happen," a voice whispered in his head. Takeo hung his head as the voice laughed along with Ryoku.
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Why is it so cold? The thought kept rattling around in her brain until finally Ayame gave in and returned to a state of consciousness. She was suspended by a pair of strong arms and was being carried, rather quickly, through the woods. Glancing up she could see the underside of Kouga's chin, but not much else. She shifted and the next instant the events of earlier that day all came back to her as a shooting pain raced up her arm.
They had been ambushed. Takeo and Ryoku had betrayed their trust and in the end it appeared they only wanted them dead. If Kouga hadn't grabbed her and jump over the cliff they would be dead right now. We jumped over the cliff! Suddenly the memory of hitting the ice cold water at the bottom of the cliff filled her mind and she understood why she was so cold. She was soaked to the bone, which meant that Kouga was not much better off.
"Good, you're awake." She glanced up at Kouga when he spoke, but he did not look down. He remained focused on the terrain ahead of them.
"What happened and how long have I been out?" asked Ayame as she finally took in their surroundings. It looked like Kouga had gone inland from the river, but she could not make out where they were through the dense forest that surrounded them at the speed he was going.
"When we hit the water I lost my hold on you and it looked like you lost consciousness. We were swept down river quite a ways before I was able to get a hold of you and get us to the bank." Kouga almost sounded apologetic, but he had saved her life. "It's been a couple of hours since we left the river bank." He also sounded out of breath, which also made her aware of the fact that Kouga was actually limping.
"You're hurt," she cried as she all but leapt out of his arms, which caused him to stumble slightly. Ayame quickly tried to correct her mistake by helping him steady himself. "Oh sorry," she added.
"It's nothing," replied Kouga as he attempted to walk on.
"That is not nothing!" The gash that must lay under the wrapping on his thigh was certainly something to be concerned about. He had tried to bind it, but it was coming loose. "Kouga, I…let me…" She knelt to retie the wrapping, but he moved away.
"It's fine," he said curtly, "we need to keep going."
"It's not fine!" she shouted. "Now hold still and let me help you." She promptly relocated herself right in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest. He was not going to continue without her taking a good look at that wound. Kouga didn't say anything, but he didn't try to walk away either, so Ayame took that as a sign of submission. She quickly knelt down and began to unwrap his makeshift bandage.
"How did this happen?" she asked as she saw the damaged flesh beneath the cloth. A jagged gash ran from just above his knee to almost half way up his thigh.
"In the river," replied Kouga, "the current rammed me up against a pretty nasty rock." Kouga laughed then, but for the life of her she couldn't understand why.
"What?" she asked as she reapplied the bandage. She wished she had something clean to wrap the wound with. As it was it looked like Kouga had used one of the bindings he used for his feet, which meant it wasn't clean to begin with.
"Nothing," answered Kouga, "it is just that none of Ryoku or Takeo's men even scratched me, but it appears I'm not immune to the powers of nature." He half laughed and she gave him a smile, but she was still fretting over his wound. He would heal up within a day, but having the wound properly treated would speed the process along. If only I had some water she thought as she completed the knot on the bandages.
Above, a thunder clap sounded and lightening shot through the clouds. It almost seemed as though the lightening had punctured a hole in clouds right above them as the rain came pouring down. This was not what I meant thought Ayame as she peered skyward.
"Could this day get any worse?" she growled in frustration.
"This rain might actually help us," replied Kouga. "It should mask our scent for a time. Right now we need to find someplace to rest." Ayame took a good long look around the area hoping to see something that might register as familiar.
"I think I know where we are," replied Ayame, "I wasn't sure earlier, but if I'm right there is a cave system there." She pointed towards a ridge that lay a short distance through the trees to their right.
"Even if you aren't it looks like a good a place as any to hole up for a while," called Kouga as another thunder clap sounded just over head. "Are you alright now?"
"Yes, I can run," replied Ayame. She was still a little light headed, but there was no way she was going to let Kouga carry her, especially not with that injury.
"Then let's go," he yelled as he took off at an easy run towards the cliff she had pointed out. Ayame hoped that the pace he was setting was due to his concern over her well being, but she knew that his leg must be throbbing.
They reached the cliff face in short order and began searching for an entrance. It was indeed the place that Ayame remember, but she had not been there in years and as most things do, it had changed. She finally found was she was looking for and attempted to push aside a rather large rock that had decided it wanted to live right in front of the entrance. But, the stone would not budge. It appeared that it was actually buried quite deeply underground.
"What is it?" asked Kouga as he walked over to her.
"This is it," she replied and pointed to the small dark hole that was only partially visible behind the boulder. "But, I can't move this."
"Let me try." Kouga gently moved her aside and placed his hands on the obstacle that was keeping them from getting dry. He pulled up as hard as he could, but only succeed in sinking into the mud that was now forming beneath their feet. "This isn't coming out. We should move on and look for something else." Kouga turned from the rock and started to walk away.
"Wait," called Ayame as she put a halting hand on his shoulder. The mud had given her an idea. "We may not be able to pull it out, but the ground is soft enough that we could probably shift it, at least enough to get into the cave." Kouga raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, but said nothing. Only moved to stand beside her and placed his hands on the rock. Smiling, Ayame mimic his stance. "On three, ready, one…two…three."
At the same instance they both applied pressure to the boulder and pushed with all they had. It seemed like an eternity and Ayame was almost to the point of giving up when the boulder shifted slightly. Kouga must have felt it to and began to push with the same renewed strength that she felt. Inch by inch Ayame watched the gap between the rock and the cave's entrance widen.
"That's it," cried Ayame, "we did it!" It was such a small thing to get so happy about, but she couldn't help but smile. She turned to Kouga, he returned her smile for a moment and then was suddenly falling forward. "Kouga!" she screamed as she caught him.
She knelt in the mud and turned him face up. He was alive. She could see his breath hitting the cold air as he exhaled. Glancing down she saw the blood still seeping from his wound. He's lost so much blood. The extra exertion from pushing the boulder out of the way caused his blood to flow faster. Damnit, I should have thought of that she thought as she gathered up Kouga's limp body. She had to get him inside the cave where at least it was dry.
The light from outside was minimal due to the dark clouds over head and the only partially open entrance. But Ayame's eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness as she made her way towards the back of the cave where she hoped it might be a little warmer. At least what little wind that was getting into the cave would not reach them there. The roof of the cave was lower than she remembered causing her to walk hunched over. No I was shorter the last time I was here she thought with a small smile.
She knelt and gently propped Kouga up against the cave wall taking care not to let his head hit the wall. He had already passed out and she didn't want to make it permanent. She adjusted her position so that she could work with his leg. She wanted to try to clean out some of the mud and rewrap it before it got too dark for her to see. She undid the bandage and sucked in air through clenched teeth as she saw the amount of blood mixed in with the mud.
She stood and made her way back to the cave entrance as quickly as possible. She held cupped hands outside and let them fill up with water. She walked back just as quickly, but took care not to spill. She knelt and poured the water onto his wound. It was a start, but it was just not enough. She needed more water and the use of her hands so that she could clean it properly.
A poke in her ribs as she shifted reminded her of the short sword that she carried. The sheath, she could use that. She unsheathed her blade and laid it carefully on the other side of Kouga. She made her way back to the cave entrance and located a small stream of water that was pouring off the cliff face. It might not be as clean as the water falling directly from the sky, but it would fill faster this way.
Water in hand she knelt back down and quickly took off one off her leggings and wraps. She sparingly poured the water over Kouga's wound and used her hand to scrub the area around the wound so she could see how bad it really was. Fresh blood continued to seep from the wound during the entire process. She glanced up to Kouga to see his face paling in the dim light. She needed to get the bleeding stopped.
She used the rest of the water to flush the area one last time then quickly placed the inside of one of her leggings on the wound. She took one of her wraps and tied it securely into place, but made sure that it was not tight enough to prevent the blood from flowing into the leg entirely.
"There, that should do it," she said, but knew she would get no response. Kouga lay as still as he did when she first set him there. She leaned forward to brush the still wet out hair off of his face and noticed as she did so that he was burning up. She jerked her hand back in shock and quickly searched her mind for what she needed to do. He needed to get warm. This was a fever brought on by the cold and loss of blood. She undid the ties on his chest plate and removed the cold armor leaving his upper body bare. Then with out thinking about herself she whipped off the small fur cloak she wore and draped it over him. The fur on the outside was wet, but at least the inside had dried before the rain hit.
She sat back on her heels and stared at Kouga's still form. She couldn't think of anything else to do. The adrenaline rush that had been sustaining her was wearing off and she could feel it. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her to rest, her arm in particular. She checked the wrapping that Kouga had put on it. He had done a much better job on her arm that he had on his leg. The silly oaf she thought with a warm smile.
She stood, but only long enough to take off her cold armor and move to a spot next to Kouga where she could lean against the cave wall. She sat and wanted nothing more than to close her eyes, but she knew she couldn't. It was still raining, but that did not mean they weren't in any danger. There was still a possibility that Takeo and Ryoku's men would find them. She couldn't let down her guard. Now it was her turn to protect Kouga.
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A/N: Ooo, a mysterious bad guy…who could it be I wonder? Truth be told I actually told the reader in the first chapter in my original version, but I felt it was more fun to leave it a mystery until later. Okay, chapter three should be up in a few days once I give it a good read, and I think I have all of the kinks worked out of the ending so hopefully there won't be too much of a delay in getting it up.
M'eyari: No worries, I usually finish what I start…sometimes life just gets in the way. Silly life.
bluespiderman57: Glad you are liking it so far and I hope it meets your expectations.
me: Thanks.
Please review…I like reviews.
