Mister Niceguy
A/N: Lots of new reviews and a few new reviewers this time around, and it made very happy to see that people are still reading even after how long I took with the last chapter. So..thanks to all who reviewed, and thanks to all for reading.
Oh, another thing. I spent a couple dead hours at work going back and proofreading all of the previous chapters and corrected a number of errors and problematic phrases. I'm sure there are still plenty more, but I fixed what I saw.
…I really need to work on cutting these author's notes down…They're really swelling my word count…
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha; it belongs to VIEWERS LIKE YOU!
…
Oh wait, no it doesn't. But the point is it don't belong to ME.
Chapter 9: Confrontation and Alliance
Shortly after the heroic announcement was made, the cloud halted its approach and the originating wind at its center it began to die down. The dust began to clear and the cause of the commotion was about to be revealed.
But Kagome didn't need to wait to see what lie beneath the storm of dirt and leaves to know who had arrived. Once she heard that voice things began to click into place. Mere seconds ago her Shikon detecting sense had determined that there were in fact TWO fragments of the jewel present, which was the final clue she needed to to realize what, or in this case who, had just arrived.
"Koga..." Kagome articulated, her voice betraying the slightest traces of exasperation. As of late the young miko had experienced a sense of dread and apprehension every time the leader of the Wolf Demon Tribe made an appearance. Sure, she considered Koga a friend and in the past had been happy to see him when he showed up. But lately the wolf's amorous advances had finally started to get old.
However, that wasn't really such a big deal. It wasn't all that much different than dealing with Hojo's awkward declarations of affection or her friends' endless meddling in her relationships back home. And despite how irritating their actions could be and how uncomfortable they sometimes made her, Kagome still considered all of them, even Hojo, to be some of her best friends.
No, it was something more than the wolf's infatuation with her that put a damper on his arrival. She wouldn't actually mind Koga's company, but since it meant she would have to suffer through his and Inuyasha's childish bickering and contest with Inuyasha's jealous streak, Kagome found herself halfway wishing that Koga wouldn't come visit at all.
Koga had picked up on Kagome's acknowledgment of his presence, although he was quite oblivious to her less than ecstatic disposition, and quickly moved to meet her.
"Kagome! I'm so happy to see you, too!" Already that nervous and forced grin that appeared on Kagome's face whenever Koga started proclaiming his undying love for her had surfaced. Still unaware of the girl's discomfort, Koga continued. "I was on my way to see you when I sensed the presence of a demon so I rushed over to save you! You have nothing to worry about now, Kagome. I'll protect you no matter what!"
With that said, the last traces of the dust cloud Koga's speed tornado had created subsided, revealing Sango, Kirara and Inuyasha, all coughing from inhaling the displaced dirt particles.
Koga took notice of Inuyasha and decided that he'd be the one to throw the the first punch in their feud today.
Kagome was about to reply to Koga's promise of protection when he spoke up again to launch his verbal assault against the hanyou.
"Yeah, forget about your troubles, Kagome. I can protect you a lot better than Muttface over there. With me around you have nothing to fear!"
A smug smirk crossed Koga's features as a wince and a small frown overtook Kagome's.
'Why does he always have to try to get Inuyasha riled up? Especially today when Inuyasha is...' Letting that thought trail off, Kagome released a sigh and tried again to talk to the wolf youkai.
"Koga," she began, but was cut off once more.
Inuyasha had quietly made his way over towards after the wolf prince had directed his assurances to Kagome to the silver haired half demon. Koga eyed him and asked, "Got a problem with that, mutt?"
Inuyasha ignored the comment and calmly greeted his rival. "Hello, Koga. What brings you here today?"
Koga frowned a little at his failure to get a rise out of Inuyasha. As such, he decided to take things a little further.
"Oh, nothing much. Just here to visit MY WOMAN and finish up the job you couldn't handle taking down the demon," Koga contemptuously explained.
Inuyasha's gaze hardened a little when he heard the words "MY WOMAN" escape Koga's lips, but they quickly returned to their calm appearance.
However, Kagome had noticed and felt a twinge of sympathy for her friend. She didn't think that Inuyasha was going to respond to that and she knew that with his new attitude the hanyou certainly didn't deserve Koga's hurtful taunting. Once again she began to speak.
"Koga, listen..."
Kagome's voice finally caught his attention this time, but it didn't last long. After a quick glance at the object of his affections, Koga turned back to indirectly address Inuyasha, by way of Kagome, yet again.
'I'm not getting any kind of response from him,' Koga observed with some degree of disappointment. 'I've left the demon alone long enough. I'll just let my actions put the half-breed to shame!'
"Yeah, so where'd the demon go, Kagome? Lemme at it!"
Kagome was finally starting to get angry from being ignored and the tone of her voice reflected that sentiment.
"Koga! Stop!"
That got his attention.
"You don't need to defend him, Kagome. You guys were fighting a youkai, weren't you?"
Kagome answered warily, "Yes, but..."
Koga cut her off for the umpteenth time. He turned to Inuyasha and continued, "And YOU didn't finish it off, did you Muttface?"
Inuyasha slowly shook his head.
Koga's smirk returned and he finished his oration. "See? So just forget about the half-breed and leave the youkai fighting to a full-fledged demon!"
"Stop it!"
Caught off guard by the startling cry, both Kagome and Koga could do nothing but blink in surprise. Koga was stunned at being chastised so forcefully while Kagome was shocked that someone else had beaten her to the punch.
Inuyasha was also taken aback and joined the others in turning to find the source of the protest.
Sango and Kirara had joined the rest of the group after abandoning their post next to the ogre's remains, which rested behind a nearby bush. No longer content to sit on the sidelines and watch Inuyasha take Koga's verbal abuse, the taijya was compelled to step in to Inuyasha's defense.
However, unbeknownst to anyone else, it was not without a fair amount of nervousness. 'What am I doing...?'
Koga was shocked. It was ever the rare occurrence for any of Inuyasha's friends, save Kagome, to get involved in one of their skirmishes. And on the off chance that they did make a comment it was always to sardonically point out Inuyasha's rude or jealous behavior. But now, the demon slayer, the one he had least expected to utter a grievance toward him, was passionately confronting him for his attitude toward the hanyou. It was a situation that left the wolf at a loss of how to respond.
'Why is she sticking up for him now? None of them have ever done that before…Except maybe Kagome…But it doesn't make any sense!' Koga tried to reason out an answer to the mystery to no avail. 'Whatever. I'm not gonna take that!' And with that thought on his mind and a scowl on his face, he opened his mouth to give the insolent girl a piece of his mind and demand to know where she got off talking back to him!
But it seemed that the lupine demon was due for a taste of payback. Just as he had constantly cut off his questionably claimed woman moments before, Sango proceeded to cut off his angry retort by continuing her tirade against the wolf's cutting remarks against her friend.
"You have no right to talk to Inuyasha like that! And who do you think you are saying you'll finish up the demon slaying task? The demon is already dead!" Sango yelled, ignoring the wealth of reluctant thoughts that were flooding her mind with questions of whether or not she should be coming to Inuyasha's aid so passionately. Ultimately concluding that she had every right to stand up for her friend she stood glaring at the Koga, awaiting his response.
However Koga's reaction wasn't quite what she expected. Instead of launching a scathing counterargument, his eyes widened and a confused expression appeared on his face. Sango reciprocated the action and some of her indignation waned in favor of befuddlement as well, but hers was the result of Koga exhibiting such a perplexed appearance in the first place.
'The demon is already dead? What! But Dog Crap over there said he didn't kill it! And the smell…This woman isn't making any sense!'
"What are you talking about, demonslayer? The Mutt said he didn't kill the youkai! What do you mean 'it's already dead?'
Sango's anger returned just as swiftly as it had faded. How dare he say that she and Kagome couldn't take down a demon on their own! Sango was far too proud to let the Leader of the Wolf Demon Tribe make such a condescending remark.
"You arrogant jerk! Kagome and I finished off the demon ourselves!"
The blinding anger and indignation that had overtaken Sango cleared after she said those words, allowing her to realize that she might've said something out of place. 'Uh-oh. Inuyasha is way more proud than I am, and I just let his rival know that we had to finish off the demon ourselves. He's going to be angry…' Sango began to cringe at that thought, but stopped when she realized that that wasn't very likely anymore. 'Or worse; he was so worried that he had been the reason I was upset earlier…I've probably really hurt his feelings this time…' She warily turned to see how Inuyasha would respond to her outburst.
She wasn't alone in looking redirecting her attention to the half demon. Koga had turned as well, but not to watch for the hanyou's reaction. No, Koga's eyes had widened even more but this time it wasn't from being perplexed by at the situation. Sango's explanation had been enough to incite Koga's awful fury. And so before Inuyasha had any chance to say or do anything about Sango's disclosure of the battle's events, the wolf demon bit into the hanyou with another round of seething accusations.
"WHAT! You made Kagome fight your battles for you, you worthless half-breed! You let your utter WEAKNESS put Kagome in danger!" A red hue began to make its way across Koga's face as his anger rose.
A deafening crack interrupted Koga's furious tirade. Kagome, who had been standing next to the wolf the whole time, had slapped him. A red handprint akin to those her taijya friend left on a certain perverted monk stained Koga's cheek.
Slowly he turned to face Kagome again. His dazed expression met the outraged mask that covered Kagome's face.
"Kago—"
"Shut up!" she screamed. She wished that Inuyasha's necklace was around his neck right now so she could send him a few feet underground. "Just shut up Koga! Sango and I can take care of ourselves just fine! Inuyasha nearly DIED yesterday and still went out to fight in that condition! That's better than showing up too late to help and then wasting all his time arrogantly posturing and picking on others like a certain insensitive jerk I know!" Kagome glared at her suitor with almost hateful eyes.
Koga was too stunned to respond. Kagome had slapped him! And now she was looking at him with such malice…A look he'd never thought her capable of. A sickening feeling began to well up in his stomach as the hurt of Kagome's scolding set in.
'Why…' When he could stand her penetrating glare no longer, Koga hastily turned away, and his eyes made their way to Inuyasha again.
'Oh no, he's not going to look away from me when I'm talking to him!' Kagome began another round of yelling at the thoughtless wolf.
"Hey! Don't you—"
"Kagome, stop. It's okay."
Kagome looked at Inuyasha in surprise. It figured that the one time she was actually getting angry in his defense he would refuse.
Koga was just as surprised and listened intently as Inuyasha addressed him.
"You're right, Koga. I shouldn't have let this," he motioned towards his back, "get in the way of me protecting Kagome." A melancholy note distorted his voice and a somber expression muddled his face. Having his newly fragile feelings crushed by the overwhelming shame brought about by Koga's accusations led the half demon to avert his gaze from the others and stare despondently at the ground.
The others were quiet for a moment and looked thoughtfully at the half demon for a silent moment. Kagome and Sango had sad and sympathetic looks for their comrade, and Koga's brow was furrowed in a confusion that had been all too present during this visit.
'What is going on here…?' the Wolf Prince thought. With a wisdom uncommon to his feud with Inuyasha, Koga took some time to think about things before seizing the moment and launching another offensive against his rival.
'Muttface is definitely NOT acting like himself…And Kagome and the Taijya woman are waaaay too concerned for him. I've never seen them defend him like this before…And I've seen HIM just give up like that…' Koga took a moment to look at focus of his introspection again. Inuyasha was still standing there pathetically staring at the ground. Koga watched him hoping to find some explanation in the image before him, when suddenly the two girls invaded his vision as the approached Inuyasha from either side. As he watched them place their hands on his shoulders and begin dispensing encouraging and comforting words, Koga came to a decision for his next course of action.
'There's obviously something wrong with this picture, but it's pretty clear I'm not going to get anywhere with them treating him like that.' Kagome glanced at him briefly, and her gentle and soothing appearance immediately warped into a disgusted glare. Koga shifted uncomfortably at the sight, an action that seemed to notify Kagome that her message had been received, and the girl turned back to Inuyasha once again with no evidence of her bitterness remaining whatsoever.
Koga frowned a little and returned to his thoughts. 'And that erases any doubt. It looks like this is one time I need to make a tactical retreat.' With a troubled sigh he turned around to go. He took one step, then another and stopped to look back once again. He saw that the two girls were not acting in vain, as Inuyasha was slowly showing signs of cheering back up. Koga looked once more at Kagome, sadly fearing a defeat in his quest to make her his woman as a result of the crippling blow his presence that day had made. He took one last chance to utter a farewell.
"Inuyasha!" The half demon slowly turned to look at Koga. Biting back every angry thought in his mind, the Leader of the Wolf Demon Tribe continued, "Take care of Kagome." With that Koga quickly spun back around and sped off into the woods.
Hidden deep within the forest, far out of reach from Kaede's village was a small pond. The foliage was heavier in that part of the forest, allowing few rays of light to pierce down into the small clearing where the pond resided. The only trail leading to the secluded area was almost free of wear and amidst all of the tall grass it was all but indistinguishable unless one was actively searching for it.
And yet, one day a wandering monk had stumbled upon it. Having been searching for any signs of water in hopes of glancing a beautiful maiden or two bathing, the monk had conquered the efforts the pond had taken in hiding itself and discovered the peaceful sanctuary.
The disappointment the young monk felt upon realizing his quest for feminine splendor had proved fruitless waned much quicker that day, as the majesty of the pocket of the forest filled him with a peace and calm that prevented any ill feelings from befalling him.
And so, the monk claimed the spot as his own. It was special place for him; sometimes it served merely as a place to relax and enjoy the less human (and female) aspects of nature when he and his companions took a break from their travels. Other times it was a private haven for meditation that he could escape to on the rare occasions he'd become so encumbered with his sorrows that he needed time to himself. And every time he visited his spot the monk left in higher spirits.
But this day not even the soothing sanctum of solitude would prove to cleanse the monk of his dark feelings.
Miroku sat cross-legged in a meditative position on a fair sized rock that protruded from the middle of the pond. Usually it was his favorite place to think and clam himself, as he often found himself in a contemplative yet calm state when sitting there. This occasion, however, found the monk tense and stressed. While still obviously deep in thought, the monk's peaceful countenance was no where to be seen. He was hunched over on the rock, his brows creased sharply and his eyes aflame as he mulled over the thoughts that had plagued him for the hours he had resided in his secret refuge.
'Argh! Why does it prove so difficult to think of some way to put Inuyasha in his place!' Showing an ever-so-rare lack of self control Miroku threw his hands up and growled as these thoughts once again ran through his head. Over and over the perverted monk had tried to think on a way to get revenge on Inuyasha for what he had done. Usually, any such dark thoughts would have eventually faded as his mind wandered when his meditation was of a less noble nature. But every time they'd wander he'd think about his beloved goddess, the beauteous Sango. And this time, it was the object of his affections that was at the root of his ire toward his half demon friend.
Instead of taking the usual turn into pleasant yet scrupulous thoughts about the stunning demon slayer, Miroku would replay the scene of Inuyasha hugging her over and over, and his anger toward the hanyou would be renewed once more. At that point he would refocus on scheming for a way to confront Inuyasha, but blinded by his anger he would get no where, and then his mind would wander again and the cycle would repeat itself.
But finally Miroku had reached his breaking point and was outwardly expressing his frustration. After throwing a few pebbles into the pond and swinging his monk's staff at an invisible target, (Inuyasha, of course) the monk calmed down a bit and resettled himself on the rock to begin another round of fruitless scheming.
Just as he was easing back into his brooding, Miroku heard a sound. The sound was getting louder and louder, as if something was rapidly approaching his position.
'Could a youkai have found me?' Miroku thought as he got to his feet. The sound was still drawing ever nearer, so Miroku tightened his grip on his staff and leapt back to shore and charged out of the clearing to meet the intruder head on.
Seeing a calamitous swirl of motion tossing about dirt, leaves and all manners of uprooted vegetation, Miroku addressed the approaching storm with a confident yell.
"Show yourself!"
The commotion abruptly ceased revealing a figure at its center. Miroku eyebrow shot up at the sight of the being before him, and his guard dropped ever so slightly.
"Koga."
The wolf youkai said nothing, merely looked at him with a scowl on his face. Miroku could see that his newly arrived visitor was in a bad mood - a mood so bad that the monk subtly strengthened his grip on his staff again, unable to predict Koga's actions.
Koga remained silent for a while, trying to piece together why the monk before him had not been with the others. His mind still spinning from his encounter with Kagome and Inuyasha, Koga was unable to think clearly enough to reason up an answer, and decided to ask outright.
"Monk," he began. "Why aren't you with Inuyasha," he spat out the name with no small amount of distaste, "and the others?"
Miroku's eyes flared up with anger and he gritted his teeth. His knuckles became white with fury as he clenched his staff even tighter. Seething and almost trembling with rage, the monk provided no answer.
After another moment of silence, Miroku looked up to see Koga looking at him intently, evaluating his unexpected lack of response and the obvious if not vocalized anger that took its place.
Miroku finally replied, attempting to hide his present resentment for Inuyasha. "I required a reprieve from the companionship of the others so I might meditate in solitude."
'Yes, that seems like a decent enough excuse,' he praised himself.
Koga raised an eyebrow and drove the conversation on. "Good move, monk, 'cause if you're anything like me, the sight of Kagome and the demon slayer woman going ga-ga over Dog Crap back there would've made you sick to your stomach." As the last word left his mouth, Koga watched the monk carefully to see how he would react.
Miroku's eyes narrowed and his last ounces of restraint collapsed.
'Even now he steals my Sango away, all the while keeping Kagome wrapped around his finger, too!'
"That...BASTARD!" Miroku howled.
Koga jumped a little. The monk was loosing control and cursing aloud? And the curse was directed at Inuyasha? Not that he disagreed with the monk's words, but it was all so unexpected.
"Huh? Why are you so angry at the half breed? I thought you were his friend."
Miroku directed his attention to Koga once more and explained his plight. "That bastard Inuyasha has started to act kindly after his recovery from a near fatal demon attack. It was all well and good until I took notice of his true, fiendish motives…trying to steal my…" The monk caught himself a little too late, and hastily tried to cover it up, "Tried to take advantage of Sango while he's already courting Kagome."
Koga almost screamed. "WHAT!" Furious to no end, Koga tried to calm himself down as best he could so he could think things over. It all made sense now, the way the demon slayer had stood up for him, the way he didn't get angry at Koga's jibes, the way he had poisoned Kagome to hate him…
'He's acting all angelic now so he can keep Kagome under his spell! And she isn't enough…now he's going after the taijya, too!"
Koga focused on the monk again, and a new train of thoughts emerged. He began to think over why the monk was so angry about Inuyasha's scrupulous behavior. It didn't make sense seeing how the monk tried to be such a ladies man himself. Why should he care if Inuyasha is degrading both Kagome by going after Sango?
Then it hit him. The monk had revealed his true feelings in that little slip.
"The demon slayer is your woman, isn't she monk?"
Miroku was startled and looked uncomfortable. A sad expression appeared but quickly devolved into another livid scowl.
When Koga saw the signs of tears beginning to form in the monk's eyes, he knew he'd hit the nail on the head. Feeling a strange sympathy for the monk he said, "I'm sorry, monk."
Miroku was surprised that Koga had said that. "Did I really appear so weak that you felt the need to pity me?" he asked. Before Koga could respond he continued, "How am I ever going to get my revenge on Inuyasha for stealing Lad—my Sango away if I can't even contain my own self pity?"
Koga's ears picked up on that. "Revenge?" Yes, that sounded good. Revenge against Inuyasha. He couldn't do it on his own without making Kagome hate him, but the monk had always seemed intelligent enough. If he joined forces with him, surely they could find a way to put Inuyasha in his place.
"Monk," he said. "How're you going to get revenge on the Mutt?"
Miroku dejectedly replied, "Lady Kagome does not seem to be aware of Inuyasha's scheme. The key is to somehow expose him to Lady Kagome and free both her and Lady Sango from his clutches. But I have been unable to come up with any ideas thus far."
Koga let a small smirk cross his features. "Well then, monk. Perhaps two heads will prove to be better than one." He extended his arm.
Miroku looked at it questioningly, and then to the determined look in the wolf's eyes. Warily he moved his arm to meet Koga's, until their hands met.
With a quick but solid handshake, Miroku and Koga sealed their alliance to stop Inuyasha's sickening scheme.
Once again the measures the forest had taken to conceal Miroku's pond proved ineffective, as a form hiding in the tops of the tree ascended and flew away.
'Interesting…The monk and the wolf teaming up to take revenge on Inuyasha…And Inuyasha isn't himself? Yes, very interesting, indeed…'
A/N: Alright, finally finished. I was hoping I'd have this chapter out earlier, but oh well. I sat down and worked on this like 3 or 4 times, and it was kinda a tough chapter to write cause I didn't know exactly where I wanted to go with it at times. But now it's done and I'm halfway satisfied with it, and I think I know where I'll be taking the story in the future. I'm still trying to work on making my writing less repetitive and boring. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review :)