I don't own Inuyasha or the characters there in.

Streams of the Heart Section 5

Ayame was awoken by the scent of surging youki. Her eyes flickered open to the twilight sight of Jinenji's horse like face. She smiled softly. He was so peaceful. She gently drew herself from his large arms and drew her fur robe around herself. She stood and her ears flicked towards the sound of wind. Jinenji's body woke up and he started into wakefulness and stood. Ayame turned around.

There he stood. The whirls of air current were still settling. His black hair and blue eyes were right in front of her. His eyes narrowed.

"So, you demanded me to keep my promise and yet you go off with another man?" growled the youkai in front of her. "Not just any man but a rotten vermin hanyou," He looked at the mountain like figure of Jinenji. "He's not even an attractive man...more like a poorly made clay horse."

Ayame stepped closer, "Kouga...you don't have much room to talk!"

"Heh, I didn't make the demand, you did. I didn't even remember the promise, Ayame, but you did and then dredged it up," replied the wolf youkai, "and now you have the audacity to philander around with this thing...You slut, I should take you with me now." He growled and looked at Jinenji, "I bet you and him already have…" Ayame looked aghast at the accusation and the wolf youkai glared, "You're nothing but a slut, going around behind my back like that!"

"I never did anything with Jinenji, and even if I did, it's none of your business, Kouga," Ayame shot back. "You never formally announced your feelings, in fact you continued after that girl..."

"Heh, you don't really think I would wish to have children with Kagome do you?" asked Kouga. He raised his finger and pointed at Jinenji. "And run the risk of having runts that look like that? Oh I think not, I still need a female wolf youkai to do the deed with...and though you can be pushy and naïve I thought you would be a better choice than none..."

"Jinenji is not a 'that', he's a man, a very noble, loving, caring, good hearted man," growled Ayame. She glared at Kouga, "Everything you aren't, you bastard!"

Before Ayame could blink Kouga was at her. His hand was on her throat. "You never raise your voice to me like that...woman...You're lucky that I don't snap your head right off that pretty little body, bitch..." Suddenly in a flurry of movement a saffron arm slammed down in front of Ayame and Kouga was sent reeling backwards.

"Ayame is not a bitch, and you will not address her as 'woman'," growled Jinenji. His fists were up.

"So the pony boy wants to play?" growled Kouga.

"Don't do this, Jinenji," whispered Ayame. She looked up at the horse hanyou. "He has jewel shards in his legs; he'll run circles around you..."

"Let him..." growled the horse hanyou. He leapt at Kouga and slammed his hammer like arms down into the ground.

"Is that as fast as you can go?" called Kouga from behind the horse hanyou. "Might as well as fight a snail..." Then Jinenji felt one of the wolf youkai's feet crash into his back.

"Jinenji!" yelled Ayame.

Jinenji stood up and turned. His face was covered in dirt and his back was hunched slightly, but he didn't look badly hurt. The wolf youkai, Kouga, had a smug look on his face. Jinenji growled and then lifted his fists again. Kouga leapt at the hanyou. Jinenji blocked the oncoming strike with one of his massive arms and punched the other one forward. Kouga escaped the attack easily. Kouga swung his foot around but was caught by surprise when Jinenji caught him by the foot and held him upside down.

Jinenji shook the wolf prince by the foot. The shaking elicited some curses from the wolf's mouth. Kouga then kicked with his free leg and struck Jinenji across the chin and sent the horse hanyou backwards. Kouga landed on his feet and brandished an old katana.

"Kouga, don't!" growled Ayame.

"Shut it, bitch," returned Kouga. He jumped forward, sword drawn, rapidly approaching the fallen Jinenji.

"NO!" Ayame thrust her hands forward and the air swirled with leaves and grass. Kouga flew through it, but fell short of striking Jinenji. His arms and legs were sliced and cut to bits. Kouga turned his gaze at Ayame. His eyes had a glint of red to them. He lifted his katana and he leapt at her.

"You're dead, bitch," roared Kouga and bared his fangs.

Suddenly something impeded Kouga's movement. Jinenji's hand was clenched around the wolf youkai's waist.

"You aren't hurting her!" growled Jinenji. Ayame looked up; Jinenji's blue eyes were now deep lavender. He lifted the wolf youkai up. Kouga struggled angrily against the vise like grip, but to no avail. Jinenji looked directly into Kouga's eyes. "She doesn't want you any more...and I don't want you near this farm anymore, leave...or I'll grind you into dust..." To emphasize his point he increased the pressure around Kouga's midriff. Jinenji then threw the wolf away like a rag doll.

"Ugh, fine, wench if you like this donkey so much, you can keep him, but you'll be crawling back to me..." growled Kouga and he stood.

"Kouga, no, I won't..." said Ayame. Her eyes were soft a tear glistened in the morning sun. "So, please, if you have any feelings in your heart, leave..."

Kouga's eyes narrowed. He turned and disappeared into a swirl of wind.

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"Kouga...!" yelped the two wolf youkai that were sitting against a rock. "You look like you got beaten up by an army of youkai..."

"Shut up..." growled the wolf. He walked over to the rock with a bit of a limp. "When I have rested...we have to go...I can smell that Mouryoumaru's stench..."

"What about Ayame-sama..." asked one of the wolf youkai.

"Forget her, she doesn't want 'our kind of life'," said Kouga and he stood up. He looked back, "Come on, that compost heap that calls himself a youkai isn't going to find itself..." Before either of them could respond Kouga was gone. They looked each other, sighed and ran after him.

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"Are you hurt, Jinenji?" Ayame held him gently.

"Not much more than some nasty bumps," replied the horse hanyou quietly. "As long as you're safe, it is ok..."

Ayame smiled. Jinenji's head perked a little and looked to the sky.

"What is it?" asked Ayame.

"Don't you smell it?" asked Jinenji. He took a deep breath through his nose.

She took a deep breath. It had a wet feeling. Her eyes widened. "Is that the smell of...?"

"Rain," Jinenji nodded and smiled contently, "and a lot of it."

Ayame smiled happily and stood up on her tip toes and kissed Jinenji on the cheek. The large, horse hanyou blushed bright red and chuckled nervously. Ayame only giggled and patted the large hanyou's muscular arms.

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The old woman had been awake. Her hips were aching like none other. She had been at the window when she saw the male wolf youkai appear. She watched as both her son and that woman fended him off. She had been so worried about that girl killing them both, and then she saw with her own eyes; the girl lash out against the young, male youkai. She was surprised that the woman had faced down one of her own kind to protect her son. It was something she never thought she'd see from another youkai. She grunted as she stood up and she slowly walked to the door.

"JINENJI!" she screeched in her voice. "You and that dang woman that's out there better get in here... My hip is turning fits like never before...means a rain's comin'...we gotta get the house ready for this storm that's a comin'."

Jinenji smiled and looked up at the house, "You mean you're going to let Ayame stay in the house during the storm?"

"Well, of course can't be havin' the girl sitting out in the rain, you fool; now come on we haven't much time..." she returned in her owly voice that she used to sound mean when she was really being rather playful.

Jinenji looked at the young woman that was at his side and smiled broadly. She smiled in return. The two young people smiled and then walked to the house, Ayame's hand in Jinenji's.

The End.

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AN: This is the wrap up. The story is over…for real.

I will say that this is a very short fic. I won't deny it, but really I just can't seem to find away to pad it out any more. I still look at this as one of my lesser works, but it is leaps and bounds better than it was upon its first posting. I just wish that I had made it longer…but it's my first and so far only romance story…and I'm not a romance person, so the fact that it got made was quite the…surprise. Any questions…or such leave an email or something and I can try and answer them. As to my other plans for an Inuyasha fiction…Takahashi just torpedoed an idea I had that focused around Kanna, since the poor bunshin was returned to the plot in last week's manga...ruddy timing she has…she waits for a year and half and then as soon as I think I have an idea…bam she shoots it to bits.

As to this story, it has an open ending but that does not mean there will be a sequel in the foreseeable future…I don't write many Inuyasha fics because I don't believe I can do the characters justice, so I usually stick around side characters…but I also don't often do fics because I don't think I can do the time period justice…this one was relatively character heavy so setting wasn't so big...

Edward Elric: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and yes this is the end. Sort of an open ending, but I think it fits the story.

Thanks to those that reviewed, Victoria, Chesbutler, inu fan, Edward, and thanks to the person that put me in the Strange Pairings C2…that's the first C2 I've ever been put in... I may try another Inuyasha Fic…but it won't be for a while, I have to see how much backstory is divulged in this week's chapter to see whether I can still shoe horn in my story idea.