Disclaimer: Everyone wishes they owned Inuyasha. Am I right? Well, I'm one of those people, just another hopeless wisher.
Author's Note: Special thanks to Kagome and okami for reviewing my last chapter. Arigato for sticking with me! ^_~
Kagome: Don't worry, you'll find out what happened to Kagome within the next few chapters. That's all I'm saying for right now!
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"In the Crossfire" by: Jesia-chan
Chapter 6: Sneak Attack
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Two days later . . . * ~ * ~
Dear Diary,
Shunusuke's being an ass again by constantly trying to feel mine; I told him this and he laughed. When he put his arm around my shoulder, still trying to distract me with his cute smile, I could feel his other hand slowly moving towards my right hip. That's when I got an idea: "Shunusuke-kun, Sango-sama told me that you're concerned about my coming of age soon. Arigato for caring so much! You're like a big brother to me." That wiped the smile right off his smug face; his wandering hand immediately froze as he contemplated what I had just said. Suddenly his skin turned pallor and he jumped away; a blue tint and a bead of sweat visible on his face. I simply laughed.
Today I promised Kouga-kun that I would meet him, so good bye for now!
Ja ne,
Sakura-chan
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Sakura found a clearing in the dense forest and sat down against a thick, old tree. She had been waiting for quite a while. The clearing was almost exactly right in the middle of the forest between her house and Kouga's den; Sakura, however, didn't know this. In fact, the girl didn't have a clue exactly where Kouga-kun's tribe lived. He never offered this information so she never asked.
To pass the time, Sakura stared at the pattern of shady and sunny patches of forest floor before her, wondering, 'What's taking him so long? Surely he hasn't forgotten. He seemed so eager to meet me today to spend more time with me . . .' She sighed, then sniffed, but couldn't pick up his scent or sense him nearby. 'Oh well, it's not like I'm the woman he's in love with. I'm sure that something just came up.'
That's when Sakura heard rustling in the nearby bushes behind the tree she was leaning on. She neglected her senses and immediately assumed that it was just Kouga trying to scare her again. "Nice try, Kouga-kun." Sakura stood up and confidently stalked over to the bushes, completely unaware and unprepared for what awaited her there . . .
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"Oi, Kouga! Wake up!" cried Ginta as he shook his leader vigorously. "It's past midday. Didn't you promise to meet Sister's daughter again today?"
"Hmm?" said a sleepy Kouga, rubbing his eyes. "Why're ya shakin' me like that? Stop that!" he commanded.
Ginta stopped and backed away from the nest immediately, knowing how aggressive his leader could be. Sure, after meeting Kagome and spending time with her daughter Sakura he softened up over the years, but it was still better to be safe than dead! "This is the latest I've ever seen you sleep," Ginta commented. "What were you doing all night?"
Kouga began to sit up and growled, "Like it's any of your business!"
Ginta trembled and managed to stutter out, "S-Sorry . . . !" He bowed as if to beg for his life to be spared. "I-It wasn't any of m-my business."
Kouga ignored Ginta's pitiful display and smirked. "I'll tell ya anyway. I was up a lot of the night thinking about what kind of pups Sakura and I would have . . ." Ginta had stopped bowing and trembling and sat before his master listening intently; sitting a respectful distance away from his nest I might add. Kouga was now sitting Indian-style and still smiling. "They would be half wolf-demon of course *BIG, happy smile* and let's see . . . I'm not good with numbers . . . ahh, three-eighths human and . . . one-eighth Mutt-face!" Ginta gave him a weird look and Kouga immediately recognized his mistake. "I mean demon-dog, of course!" He stretched his muscles, stood up, and began to walk towards the cave exit; Ginta followed.
"Oi, Kouga!" (A/N: They say this a lot.) called Hakkaku. "One of the wolves saw Sakura waiting for you in the forest!"
"Oh kuso! I almost forgot!" shouted Kouga, suddenly conscious of what day it was; he took off into the forest as fast as his legs could take him.
"Never a 'Thank you Ginta, Hakkaku'," sighed Ginta.
"Yeah, not even a pat on the back or a 'How could I run this tribe without you guys?' either," added Hakkaku.
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Kouga flew through the forest on swift legs, hoping that Sakura hadn't given up on him and gone home. He continually, almost frantically, sifted through all the various scents of the forest, trying to pick up hers.
That's when it hit him . . .
"Blood . . ." he whispered in disbelief. "Sakura's blood! There's no mistaking it; the scent's so strong!" Kouga took off again in a rage, suddenly wishing he still had those 'stupid' Sacred Jewel shards embedded in his legs. "Whatever's spilled Sakura's blood will surely die with my claws to its throat!"
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Hardly a minute later Kouga stumbled upon the clearing. He felt close to fainting, his head was spinning, his dark blue eyes were bulging.
Blood . . .
everywhere . . .
A dead giant snake youkai lay only feet away from the unconscious quarter-dog-demon known as Sakura. Kouga assessed the situation: The youkai's body had obviously been sliced to ribbons by Sakura's now blood-covered claws. Two puncture wounds were visible in Sakura's left side through her clothing. He was pretty sure he knew what happened . . . she had been surprised by the hungry demon that struck her with its poisonous fangs and just barely managed to kill it in defense before passing out.
For the first time in his life, Kouga ultimately felt like bawling, but knew that there was no time for such foolishness. He rushed to Sakura's side, kneeled down and heaved the top half of her body up onto his lap. He took hold of her hand and squeezed it as if hoping to will her awake. His bleak hope was fulfilled as he was soon gazing into two beautiful gold eyes. "Kouga-kun . . ." she whispered hoarsely. "You . . . you came for me . . ." Sakura managed a weak smile.
"Of course," he whispered back, running his thumb over her hand in reassurance.
The sunlight from above the trees filtered through the leaves and lit up the girl's glistening face. She was drenched in sweat and blood and her temperature had risen to a dangerous high. "You really care for this girl so much?" she asked, referring to herself.
Kouga nodded his head up and down slowly. "Onegai Sakura, don't talk anymore; don't worry about anything. This is my fault, I'll make sure that you recover and make it home safely. You have my word."
"A-Arigato Kouga-kun. I trust you completely." She winced at the stinging pain in her side.
Kouga held her limp body close, mindful of her wounds. "I love you Sakura-chan . . ." But she didn't hear this admittance of his love for her, for she had already slipped off into a peaceful, dark oblivion . . .
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Author's Note: Sorry for making this chapter short, I wanted to get more out to you guys. But there probably won't be any more updates until after school's out on May 30. I reeeeally need to focus on doing some last minute A.R. reading if I want to pass A.R./Reading class. So gomen nasai in advance minna-san. Please review, I was quite disappointed in only getting two reviews for my last chapter. Oh well, maybe that chapter wasn't as great as I thought it was? Or maybe it was too long to read in one sitting or something? Please if there's a problem, tell me 'bout it! 'Cause I thought you guys wanted a really long chapter and plus I felt bad for not updating in a month.
Review pwease. ^.^ I accept both signed and anonymous reviews. And if you'd like to receive an E-mail every time I update, let me know in your review. Ja ne!