Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't own Inuyasha; you know that, I know that. Thank you very much!
Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for so long ^^; *Sweatdrop*. Those darn teachers, we do all the work, they get paid! They've been bombarding me all kinds of homework; and who gave them permission to give us three tests on the last day before spring break? It's insane, I'm telling you . . .
okami:
Thanks for giving me such good reviews, you and Nankinmai seem to be my number
one fans so far! ^_^
Nankinmai: Thanks for not actually siccing Sessy on me . . . I couldn't sleep at night with all the worrying . . . ^^; (Kidding of course!) Oh and Inuyasha doesn't know about his daughter being friends with Kouga and isn't going to figure it out for at least a couple more chapters (yes his reaction will not be worth missing!).
lil washu-chan: Gomen for the cliffhangers; like I said, I can't help it! It's fun. (I have to admit, being evil is fun sometimes!)
Foxstar2k2: Thanks! This story's going to get better and better (hopefully you'll agree with me) and it'll probably be pretty long.
Mystic Ice: You seem very enthusiastic about my story! Thanks! ^_^
pnut: For all you readers out there to know, pnut is one of my best friends and we go to the same school and stuff. What pnut was saying about Kouga wanting to kill her and take me is part of this hilarious yet very WEIRD rp we've been doing. First it was just us, now we've got a couple more of our friends in on it; we're considering making it a fanfic. Let me know either by E-mail (Jesiaskyepaige07@aol.com) or by mentioning it in your review if you think we should. Oh yeah! The rp includes a very useful jar of mayonnaise and a curling iron . . . I'm laughing out loud just remembering it!! And now every time someone says mayonnaise or I see a jar of mayonnaise, I burst out laughing.
the person who sits on a pink chair and reads fanfics (leila): I hope you like the recent additions to my story!
Wildfire Dreams: Thank you for all of the compliments! Also thank you so much for giving me my first review, I was so excited when I got it! ^_^
SakuraYasha: "Wasting precious calories"? Feh! Just eat another Twinkie or take another sip of Coke . . . gain those calories right back! (A/N: I don't own Twinkies or Coca-Cola. ^^;;;;.)
Anyways, on with the ficcy!!
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"In the Crossfire" by: Jesia
Chapter 3: Daddy's Job
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*A girl's desperate screams echo throughout the seemingly endless forest.*
"He's got'er! That demon's got'er!" a village man yelled. "I saw'im, he picked her up and took off into the trees!" he pointed in the direction the accused youkai had tore off to.
"I don't think so!" Inuyasha growled and leapt off in the pointed direction. Miroku and Shunusuke followed him on the transformed Kirara with exterminating weapons in tow.
By the time they reached the ravenous youkai, it was already feeding on the young girl's dead body.
"Chikuso, we're too late," Shunusuke murmured under his breath.
Inuyasha didn't waste any time in attacking with his Claws of Steel. The unsuspecting demon barely escaped the hanyou's assaulting talons. Leaping off to the side he ran into Miroku who struck him in the head with his staff. Now dazed, it became surrounded. Kirara growled and bared her fangs into its face dangerously; the once vicious murdering youkai became startled.
"Now, time to finish the job," Inuyasha snarled as he unleashed Tetsusaiga . . .
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"You were unable to save my daughter?" the village man asked, afraid his fear was to be confirmed.
"We are greatly sorry for your loss, sir. But now that the problem youkai is destroyed, no one else shall have to endure such suffering. Your village can now sleep at night without fear," Miroku explained. "I've already said a prayer for your daughter's soul to venture to the world beyond in peace."
"Thank you so much, sir monk," the village man bowed. "Here is your payment." He handed over a few coins from his robe.
"Hey! This isn't what we agreed on!" Inuyasha cried indignantly as he saw their reward.
"Inuyasha, calm down! We couldn't save the girl, we deserve to get paid less," Shunusuke reasoned.
Inuyasha simply snorted and walked off back towards home to catch a late lunch. Kirara followed the hanyou's example and started after him. (A/N: Inuyasha's house is about a mile away from Kaede's village. Right now they are in a different village several miles away from Kaede's. In case you haven't figured it out yet, they are basically amateur demon slayers who also do any odd jobs or good deeds around the area's villages for money.)
"Inuyasha, wait up!" Miroku called after him and ran to catch up.
Shunusuke sweatdropped, "Uhh . . . Excuse them for their rudeness of just walking out without expressing gratitude for your business," he bowed slightly. "Thank you, call for us again if another demon stalks your village at night. We will gladly assist you." The youth then also ran after his father and demon friends.
"Strange bunch they are . . ." the village man sighed and went to tell his wife the despairing news of their daughter's untimely death . . .
(A/N: The demon that Inuyasha just killed had been seen in the village the night before to pick out its victim. That's why Shunusuke-kun said stuff about demons stalking the village at night.)
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"Uhh, Kouga-kun?" Sakura said, "You can let go now."
Kouga gave one last tight squeeze, opened his eyes, and . . . let her go. Sakura smiled her cute smile that had the ability to make anyone's heart melt. 'Although she has a childish smile . . .' Kouga observed. 'I've always noticed that she acts mature for her age . . . unlike that pouty, jealous Ayame.' (A/N: Once again, I have only seen Inuyasha episodes 1-36. I don't know much about Ayame, but what I've heard is that she was jealous of Kagome and I picked up from somewhere that she's a bit pouty. Not dissing her though! I like Ayame; she's pretty and has a cool outfit. ^_^) He smiled back at her; more like a smirk, really.
'Uh-oh, what's he scheming now?' Sakura wondered. Her smile faded and was replaced by a look of scrutiny and suspicion.
Before she knew it, she was being held up in Kouga's strong arms, bridal style. "Going to the river, ne?" he asked. Sakura giggled a "Hai". "Allow me to get you there a little faster, Sakura-san."
"Alright," she replied playfully. "Sounds like fun, Kouga-kun."
"Hold on tight!" he commanded. Sakura obeyed and looped her arms around his neck, resting against his broad, muscular chest. Kouga smirked again. 'Good, I've got her complete trust. I should after being "friends" with her for almost three years now.' Kouga began running in the direction of the river. 'I remember when I first met her . . .'
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A twelve-year-old Sakura is seen wandering about the lush green forest. It is a rather nice spring day, not a single cloud in the sky. She is wearing a soft, light blue kimono with a red ribbon holding her thick mane of wavy raven black hair in a ponytail resembling Kikyo's. Kouga and one of his wolf underlings are hiding behind a row of bushes several yards off.
'So that's her . . . the girl I decided to spare,' thought Kouga, staring. 'If her blood were not part Kagome's, I would've gotten rid of her when I had the chance; just to get back at that Mutt-face.'
Sakura's miko [priestess] intuition told her that there was a demon watching her. "Hello? Is someone there?" Sakura called out bravely. "Who are you? Show yourself!" She looked around the empty clearing, until a brown wolf caught her eye. "Huh? Where did you come from?" Sakura began walking toward it, hand outstretched as if to pet it. The wolf could sense that she wasn't a danger to him or his leader and that she wasn't afraid of him, so why not indulge in letting the girl have some fun? It was nice having his ears scratched every once in a while.
'What?! I didn't command that idiotic wolf to come out. He's blown my cover!' Kouga growled at this insubordination of his underling.
Meanwhile, Sakura was kneeling down, petting the canine happily and giggling as it licked her face. Then her canine ears detected a low growl; but it wasn't coming from the wolf she was petting . . . it was coming from the bushes! "Who's there?! Come out, now!" she called again after standing up. Kouga emerged from his hiding place. "Who are you, and why were you spying on me?!" Sakura demanded.
Kouga crossed his arms over his chest and questioned, "A little over-confident, are we?" He cocked his head to one side and smiled arrogantly.
Sakura growled, "Answer!" she demanded once again.
Kouga was becoming quite impressed with her fire and spirit. After all, it wasn't every day that such a young girl could stand her ground against him; most kids her age would be deathly frightened at the sight of a demon. 'Kagome was nothing like this . . . She must have picked this act up from mutt-face.'
"I'm Kouga, leader of the wolf demon tribe," he replied matter-of-factly. Oh, how he loved showing off his title! ^_^
"You sound like an arrogant a--."
"I already know who you are . . ." the cocky demon interrupted, "you are the granddaughter of the great dog demon of the Western lands, ne?"
Sakura was surprised, not many knew that she was the descendant of a Great Demon.
"That's what a thought," Kouga sneered. "Quarter-demon, feh."
That last line really pissed Sakura off. "Oh that's it. Come on WIMPY WOLF, bring it on!" she shouted.
Kouga dropped his arms to his sides and stared at the girl in disbelief. 'She dares challenge me? And what did she just call me?!'
"What's wrong? Cat demon got your tongue?" Sakura teased, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. Kouga burst into laughter, but Sakura didn't see what was so funny. "What's so funny?"
Kouga had never laughed so hard in all of his years of existence. His sides began to ache and his lungs were begging for more life-giving oxygen. (A/N: Laughing like this is a good anaerobic exercise! ^_^)
After his laughing fit subsided he looked up to see one angry girl: hands on her hips and her foot tapping the ground irritably as if to say "I'm waiting!" Kouga finally realized how stupid he must have looked laughing so much; to cover his embarrassment he coughed. "I like you, girl," he said in all seriousness. "No one, much less a child, has ever dared challenge me," Kouga lied. (A/N: Inuyasha's challenged him, plenty . . .) "What's your name?"
"Sakura," she answered.
"That name means "cherry blossoms", ne?" Sakura nodded. "How fitting, cherry blossoms smell good in the springtime."
Sakura looked down and blushed fiercely. 'He just complimented my scent?'
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"Kouga-kun . . . Kouga-kun . . . KOUGA-KUN!!"
"Huh . . . ?"
"You just passed up the river . . ."
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Author's Note: How about that? Did you like the flashback scene? I got the idea of the wolf coming out, Sakura petting it, and the wolf licking her face from my dog, Samantha. I swear I have one of the cutest most adorable mutts in the world! She's my baby . . . Anyway, I keep taking this Inuyasha quiz that's supposed to tell you which character would be your ideal partner. And here's my results after taking it, like two and a half dozen times!: about 97% of the time, I get Kouga; about 1.5% of the time, I get hanyou Inuyasha; about 1.49% of the time, I get ningen [human] Inuyasha; and approximately .01% of the time, I get Miroku. ^^; No matter how brutally honest I answer these questions I always get Kouga . . . weird . . . *Dun dun dun.* Whoa, where'd that freaky music come from? O_o
PLEASE REVIEW!! THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE MORE MOTIVATED I'LL BE TO UPDATE!! Please feel free to E-mail me, too. Once again, it's: Jesiaskyepaige07@aol.com. Ja ne minna!