Chapter 8: Dogs, Wolves and Cougars Part 1

The next day, Kaori, Rin, Jaken and Sesshomaru left the village to go to the training grounds. It was a silent walk. No one talked. Kaori hung her head down low. Rin walked innocently next to Jaken, both behind Kaori and Sesshomaru.

They got to the training grounds on the same day. Kaori and Sesshomaru constantly trained, but Sesshomaru realized that Kaori seemed to had slowed down and become weaker. He had asked her if she was ill, but she said she was just fine.

Three days after they had arrived at the training grounds, Kaori started having cramps. It slowed her down even more during training, and she tried her best not to hold her stomach and double over in pain in front of anyone. She finally had enough and confronted Sesshomaru alone.

"I need to return home," Kaori lied.

Sesshomaru did not turn to her or show any acknowledgement that he heard her.

"Sesshomaru?" Kaori asked.

"What is the purpose?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kaori froze. What was she supposed to say?

"New Years Eve. We celebrate the new year," Kaori told him. It wasn't exactly a lie. It was nearing.

"How long?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Umm..." Kaori scratched her head. This was the difficult part. He told her last time that he would not wait longer than three days. She needed at least seven days.

"How long?" Sesshomaru asked again.

"At least seven days," Kaori told him. Sesshomaru stopped and turned to her.

"No," he said sternly.

"Sesshomaru, I need to. It's important," Kaori told him.

"Just like Christmas. It didn't seem too important," Sesshomaru said.

"Just allow me, please," Kaori pleaded.

"Ah-Un will take you," Sesshomaru told her. "He will drop you off and make sure you have a safe journey to the well. Then he will return."

"I can go on my own. I can control my powers now and be able to protect myself," Kaori told him.

Sesshomaru glanced at her. "No. Ah-Un will take you or you will not go," he told her.

"Fine," Kaori yelled. "But just to tell you, I have to return home for seven days every month. Hope you can handle it!"

Kaori stomped out of the hut and into Rin.

"Lady Kaori, is everything all right?" Rin asked.

"Move out of my way, brat!" Kaori yelled and walked around Rin in anger.

Rin just walked Kaori walk away, angry at anyone who got in her way. Sesshomaru walked out of the hut in time to see Kaori collapse into tears.

"Women," Sesshomaru whispered. Rin was standing near him and heard him.

"Won't I become a woman one-day?" Rin asked.

"Yes. But you will not turn out like her," Sesshomaru told Rin. "Now come inside to eat."

Rin followed Sesshomaru into the hut and ate some meat that they had cooked up earlier. Jaken walked in later with a message.

"Lady Kaori refuses to return and will leave first thing tomorrow. She orders you, my lord, to get Ah-Un ready for her to load," Jaken said.

"Tell her that she will join us for a meal," Sesshomaru said.

Jaken left. A few minutes later, he returned with a burn mark on his shoulder.

"She called you something that I cannot relay and tells you that if you have anything to say to her, say it to her face," Jaken said, sitting down next to Rin.

Sesshomaru stood and left the hut.

"Master Jaken, why does Lord Sesshomaru deal with Kaori?" Rin asked.

"She is his superior. He must or she could kill him," Jaken informed her. "Now sleep. I don't want to deal with you cranky tomorrow."

"Yes Master Jaken," Rin said and settled down in her furs.

Outside, in the forest, Sesshomaru came across Kaori. She was sitting against a tree, glaring up at Sesshomaru.

"You will join us for a meal," Sesshomaru told her.

"No," Kaori told him.

"I order you-" Sesshomaru said.

"If I'm correct, I'm the superior. So you can no longer order me any more," Kaori said. She stood, but fell to her side.

"You are injured," Sesshomaru stated.

"It's nothing. It'll heal," Kaori said, sitting down.

Sesshomaru kneeled down to Kaori to look straight at her.

"What is your true reason for leaving?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I'm sick of you!" Kaori yelled.

"If you need a break, you could just ask," Sesshomaru told her.

"Well, excuse me. I asked to return to my family, but no. We have to do it your way," Kaori snapped.

"You were just there," Sesshomaru stated.

"Yeah, so? I rarely got to see my family except on holidays. I always had to protect the village. Couldn't do anything without me there. I swear, I'm shocked they're still alive right now," Kaori yelled.

"If you would like to return for how many days you wish, I will allow it. I just do not want you to be killed on your journey there," Sesshomaru told her.

"Don't you get it? I'm immortal! I can't die until I have a daughter and she turns five!" Kaori yelled.

Sesshomaru was silent. He did not know this. If she would have told him, he wouldn't had gotten worried every time he had injured her during battle. He stood and helped Kaori to her feet. She seemed to have healed during their talk because she was now walking just fine.

'So, she tells the truth,' Sesshomaru thought. 'But I do not think she tells the truth about returning home.'

Kaori sat down on her furs and laid with her back to everyone else. She faced the wall and Jaken stared at her.

'What is her problem?' Jaken thought.

Sesshomaru seemed to not want to look at her either and Jaken realized they must have talked in the woods, making each other slightly angry at each other. He sat back and sighed. Maybe it was good that Lady Kaori was leaving.

The day Kaori was leaving for home, she placed her perfume in her pocket. She put her backpack over her shoulders and walked out. Standing in front of her was a two-headed dragon. Rin seemed to be petting it and Jaken held the reins.

Kaori shrieked and her eyes went wide.

"This is Ah-Un," Sesshomaru told her.

"He's a... a... dragon!" Kaori said.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said.

"A two-headed dragon," Kaori stated.

"You will be riding him to the well," Sesshomaru told her.

"No way!" Kaori stated.

"You agreed earlier," Sesshomaru told her.

"Well, we have two problems here. I'm wearing a skirt and how does he know where the well is?" Kaori asked.

"I took him there this morning," Sesshomaru told her. "He knows the way."

Kaori finally agreed to get on, but the skirt was a problem. Sesshomaru instantly resolved it; change.

Kaori was slightly annoyed at that, but changed into shorts. Sesshomaru didn't not understand her "cut pants," but allowed her to wear it. Kaori hoisted herself up and they went off.

It took just a few hours. Kaori loved the scenery from up there. The breeze blew her hair and the freedom. Ah-Un seemed not to mind the weight but when he went into a dive, Kaori's nearly choked him, grabbing his neck. She did later let go, but Ah-Un still had a sore neck afterwards.

Kaori got to the well, but did not hop in. She took her perfume out and sprayed some on her neck. It sweetened her scent and she hoisted herself back up on Ah-Un.

"I need you to take me somewhere else. I need to go to a cave near the training grounds. Can you do that?" Kaori asked.

A grunt was her answer and she was taken back into the air.

Kaori instructed Ah-Un where to go and got to the cave. Half of the day had gone by when they reached the cave. Kaori pat Ah-Un and told them to return to Sesshomaru quickly or he would suspect something. Ah-Un grunted and left quickly, Kaori waving to it as it left.

Kaori looked around in the cave. Everything seemed to be where she had left it. Her radio looked in tact like before. Her water wasn't touched. Her furs were still untouched. Kaori curled up in them. They still were soft. Kaori turned the radio and jammed to some tunes, happy to finally have a break from Sesshomaru. She just hoped Sesshomaru didn't suspect anything.

Unfortunately for Kaori, he did. He knew how long it took to get to the well and back, and Ah-Un was late returning. Sesshomaru searched out for Kaori, wondering where she had gone. Surely she hadn't kept Ah-Un long just to irritate him. But then again, Kaori was like that. Just to prove he cared. He turned around and headed back to Rin and Jaken. A woman would not make him a fool.

It was the third day away and Kaori was already in pain. The cycle had began and she tried her best to keep quiet. She didn't want to lure demons to her by her screaming, and once they smelt her blood, they would think she was injured. It had happened twice. Oddly enough, both backed off once Kaori had called out to them and wondered what they wanted. She had just shaken it off and went back to what she was doing.

During the third night, Kaori heard voices at the mouth of the cave. When she opened her eyes, she saw three people at the mouth of the cave. She could sense they were demons, but they didn't seemed to be angry or evil. They were talking friendly. Kaori jumped when she heard a howl. It was close. Like at the mouth of the cave. One of the people turned and looked at her, the sea blue eyes seeing right at her.

"Hey, it's a human," a male voice said. The one with blue eyes came closer to Kaori and bent down to her.

"Do you know where you are?" A male voice asked. It was more masculine than the other one.

"I'm in a cave?" Kaori asked.

"Yes. The wolf tribe den," the male told her.

"Well, you know how Kagome would act if we ate her," another male voice said.

"Yeah, I know," the male told him.

"So what do we do with her?" The first male asked.

"Well, she must be cold. Middle of a blizzard with no fire. She must be frozen," the male said. He turned to the wood that once held a fire. Before he could do anything, Kaori pointed and a fire started.

"I only know one person who could do that. You can't be her. She's usually around her guard," the male said. "So, how did you do that?"

"It's my power," Kaori told him, sitting up.

She could see now that the male closest to her had handsome male features like tanned skin, buff muscles, and a dashing smile.

"What, some sort of witch?" The male asked.

"Do I look like one?" Kaori asked.

"Truthfully, I don't know. You dress like Kagome. Do you come from the same village as her?" The male asked. The two other males from the mouth came closer and their faces could be seen clearly in the fire. Both were cute, but the one that was talking to Kaori was hot.

"I don't know anyone with that name. And I know everyone in my village," Kaori told him.

"I'm Kouga, leader of the wolf tribe. And you are?" The closest male asked.

"Kaori. Uzuha Kaori," Kaori said. "Most powerful princess in the world."

"Kaori? Isn't she the princess of all?" The first male asked.

"Oh, these are my only comrades, Ginta and Hakkaku," Kouga told Kaori.

"Well, nice to meet you all," Kaori said.

"Princess of all?" Ginta asked.

"Yeah. Can light fires, raise seas, cast light-" Hakkaku started.

"And move earth. Yep, that's me," Kaori said.

"It's an honour to meet you, Lady Kaori," Kouga told her.

"No, just call me Kaori. Hate it when people call me Lady Kaori," Kaori said.

"Or, sorry," Kouga said.

"So, how did you stumble upon our den?" Ginta asked.

"Well, I didn't think this was occupied. When I found it, only skeletons were around," Kaori said.

"Well, it looks like you did a good job here," Kouga complimented.

"Thanks. But the blood stained the floor," Kaori told him. "The only place that wasn't stained was the furs and this spot."

"That's my bed," Kouga told her.

Kaori's eyes went wide and uncovered herself from the furs. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. You can have if you want," Kaori apologized. Kouga pushed her back on the furs.

"Hey, stay. You're the one in heat," Kouga told her.

Kaori's eyes went wide and backed away. She had completely forgotten. It was the reason the had fled from Sesshomaru. Demons would be attracted because she was in heat. Her scent would turn all males on. Even humans. Kaori gave him a weak smile, but she was still worried and was backed against the wall.

"Hey, what's her problem?" Hakkaku asked.

"Don't know," Ginta answered. "Must be one of the weird ones out there."

"I'm not crazy!" Kaori yelled.

She doubled over in pain after that comment.

"Well, if you don't rest, you will be considered crazy," Kouga told Kaori.

"It's all right. I'm wide-awake. I'll be fine," Kaori told Kouga.

"I have a fiance. You do not need to worry," Kouga told Kaori.

"Didn't Kagome tell you she didn't love you back? Remember? She said she would go with Inuyasha," Ginta reminded.

"I will never give up on her!" Kouga growled.

"A one-sided love. Like mine," Kaori whispered.

"In love, huh? Then why are you out here alone while in heat? Shouldn't you be with the one you love?" Hakkaku asked.

"He doesn't exactly love me," Kaori told Hakkaku.

"Just like Kagome," Ginta said. Kouga growled and Kaori looked at Kouga.

He was good looking and from how he was reacting over this Kagome, he was protective. They had something in common with the one-sided love, but she was in love with Sesshomaru. Maybe he could be next in line after Sesshomaru.

"So, it's a blizzard out there, huh?" Kaori asked.

"Yeah. Seems like it just happened out of the blue. No warning at all. It was a clear day yesterday," Ginta said, seating himself next to Kaori. Hakkaku did the same on the other side and Kouga stayed in front of her.

It seemed he was trying to restrain himself. Her scent was making him go crazy. She was good looking and her smile captured his heart. But Kagome was still in his heart. But his heartbreak would cure if he could hook up with Kaori. But she was in love with someone. Kouga smiled. The person didn't return her love. Maybe there was a chance.

"What's so funny?" Kaori asked.

Kouga snapped out of his daze to look at Kaori.

"You're smiling. I need a laugh. What's so funny?" Kaori asked.

Kaori took Kaori's hands into his and looked sweetly into her eyes.

"Kaori, I love you. Will you be my mate?" Kouga asked. Ginta and Hakkaku burst into a fit of giggles.

"Kouga, that's very generous of you," Kaori said. She was blushing. She was just glad it was nighttime.

"Yes, I know you love this idiot who won't return your love. But if and when you give up on him, I will be waiting, forever," Kouga told her.

"No, Kouga, he's not an idiot," Kaori told Kouga. If Sesshomaru ever found out about this, he would kill Kouga.

"Really? Then who is this guy?" Kouga asked.

"Well, he's a powerful demon," Kaori hinted. She knew they would most likely freak if she told them it was Sesshomaru.

"Oh, how sweet of you," Kouga said and pulled Kaori into his embrace. "I didn't know you had feelings for me so soon."

"Kouga, no. It's someone else," Kaori said.

"Who could be more powerful than me?" Kouga asked.

"Him!" Ginta and Hakkaku yelled and pointed to the mouth of the cave. A tall man stood at the mouth of the cave. Kaori gulped and pulled herself from Kouga's embrace. He had found her.

Sesshomaru walked forward, his boa swishing as he walked.

"So, you lied to me?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I had a reasonable explanation," Kaori said. "Please, let me explain."

Kouga was growling at Sesshomaru and Sesshomaru looked down at him from the corner of his eye.

"So, this is your new dog boy, huh?" Sesshomaru asked.

'Ok, way too emotional. Naraku vibe here,' Kaori thought. Kaori stood and positioned herself to attack like Sesshomaru had taught her.

"Huh. He taught you way too foolishly. No one battles like that anymore," Sesshomaru said and transformed into Naraku. Kouga continued to growl, but did nothing.

"Damn it! You froze me!" Kouga yelled.

"Quiet, wolf," Naraku said.

Ginta and Hakkaku didn't move either. The woman who had killed most of their comrades was walking towards them. Kagura!

"Ah, Kagura. Glad you could join us," Naraku said. His eyes held an evil glint.

"Well, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Kagura said.

"I ought to tell you, that man you love does not love you in return," Naraku told Kaori.

"I knew that," Kaori said. She made no attempt to attack anymore for she was frozen as well.

"Yes, but did you know it was because he loves someone else?" Naraku asked.

"Yeah, the girl," Kaori said.

"No, me," Kagura corrected.

"You?" Kaori asked.

"Yes, me. We've been having something going on for quite some time," Kagura said.

"I don't exactly care, you see," Kaori said.

Kouga was watching the entire conversation. He could tell what Kaori had said wasn't a lie, but wasn't the complete truth.

"You don't actually believe that?" Kagura asked.

"I don't care. It's his life, not mine," Kaori said. Her eyes clenched in pain.

"Ah, you are in heat," Naraku said. "A very weak time for human females."

"Shut up! Demons go through it too!" Kaori yelled.

"Is this true?" Naraku asked. Kagura looked like she was blushing.

"Let's have this conversation some other time," Kagura offered. "We've finished what we've come to do."

Kagura and Naraku strolled out of the cave and Kaori, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku could finally move. Kaori fell forward, caught by Kouga.

"Careful," Kouga said. Kaori was already unconscious. Kouga laid her on her furs and wrapped her up. "Poor girl."

"Wonder why they were having that conversation about Sesshomaru. Isn't he Inuyasha's half-brother?" Ginta asked.

"Yeah. Didn't Kagome tell us that he hated humans? Then why is she with him?" Hakkaku asked.

"She isn't exactly human. She's immortal, but still goes through human cycles," Kouga told them. "So he's not officially taking in a human woman."

"But still, why were they talking about him? Does she know him?" Ginta asked.

"Maybe he's the one she loves and it's only one-sided," Hakkaku suggested.

"If that's the case, keep your mouth shut. Never mention that conversation. Act like it never happened," Kouga told them.

"Yes, Kouga," Ginta and Hakkaku said.

They all looked at Kaori. She looked so peaceful. So innocent and undisturbed. Kouga moved a stray hair away from her face. He hoped she would sleep peaceful for the rest of the night.

During this, Sesshomaru was getting slightly worried. He didn't know why, just he had a feeling Kaori was in trouble. Just as soon as it started, it disappeared. He told Jaken to take care of Rin and he would return soon. He turned into his ball of energy and fled towards the well. Once he arrived, he could tell Kaori had been there. So, she did go home. His suspicions were incorrect. The odd thing he could tell was that the scent didn't go into the well. It just stopped there. He sniffed around, but found no scent of her. There was one that smelt like her, but sweeter. He thought something had happened to her, but unless she was killed on the spot and then turned invisible, Kaori just disappeared.

He sniffed around and found that the sweetness in the look-alike smell was fading.

'She tricked me. She will pay,' Sesshomaru thought and followed her scent to her. She was going to pay, no matter what her excuse was for lying to him.