XXIV

Velocius Sentiens

Outside, Kouga walks down to the edge of the river, well away from the entrance to the den, before he even thinks about running – he remembers the speed he touched with Kagome in his arms, the way he had teased her even as he discovered that the shikon no tama was a powerful influence, indeed. With three shards, he should be three times as fast, and that is dangerous speed.

He grins, and braces one foot against the soft earth, and takes a step -

Wind.

Rush.

Perceive – respond – react -

Don't think; do it -

If he thinks, then it'll be too late.

When he is in motion, sound are slowed and the air strikes him like fire, blistering against his skin. He is encompassed by a tornado, a vortex of impossible winds in response to his movement across the currents of the air; he moves in a new phenomenon of weather.

All this, in one step – one movement, one intention focused more by power than by muscles, movement by will and not by action. He takes another step, and another – not more than ten, and then Kouga stops, breathing hard, feeling his heart pound like it's about to burst. It isn't the effort, just the excitement, the wolf within him pleased by the great power he now commands.

He stands on the other side of the forest, on the edge of Echigo – it's been moments, and he's traveled a tenth of the way.

"Two hours? I'll be back in two minutes at this rate!"

He is inexpressibly pleased – so pleased that he doesn't notice the enemy streaking at him out of the sky until it's too late. He turns, but just in time to see the thing that tackles him to the ground, raking his flesh with sharp talons before it beats its wings back, overwhelms him with rotten odors, and takes to the air to dive at him again.

There is time then for him to turn and see first hand what he is fighting – disgusting, this thing, its body reeking, its feathers pale but streaked with dirt and blood. Gray-skinned, well muscled, the torso rises out of a distortion of bird flesh marked with a leering grin. Kouga throws a blast of ice blue youki at his foe, but the creature is too agile in the air for that and he snarls his displeasure toward the sky.

He is angry now, and he races toward the harpy without even thinking. His shape and everything about him is obscured in the sudden vortex of the wind, and the creature turns to flee from him and fails. It has been sucked into the rush of air; it is being pulled inexorably toward him, and when it is within reach Kouga leaps up and alights on the gross body and grasps the thing's arms, one in each hand.

The claws dig deep into the gray, spoiled flesh. The harpy wails and writhes, beats its wings at him and gnashes its pitiful fangs, but Kouga is unconcerned. The leader is not this one; he has no use for any of these things except to take that shard of the shikon no tama and add it to his collection. They are trespassers, and they must die.

"Not your lucky day, is it?"

He looks into the harpy's eyes and lets his fangs flash in a feral smile. With one burst of strength he tears its arms out of their sockets. Dark, foul blood sprays outward and falls to spatter the ground. In pain, short of half its limbs, bleeding wildly from its wounds, the harpy begins to fall. Kouga leaps off and away from it, and lands on his feet, stares as the mass of the thing falls to the ground and flops pathetically, seeking to save itself.

Kouga aims a blast of youki at its face and waits a moment to be sure its struggles have stopped. He turns his face toward Edo and then almost runs the opposite direction – back home. These things – he could take on a dozen of them without even breaking a sweat, if this is the best they have to offer!

But...what if it's not? And the leader -

He is aware from his own experience that even a single shard of the shikon no tama can bring strange increases in power and potential. Kouga flexes the fingers of his right hand and then makes up his mind and continues on his way to Edo.

Better safe than sorry – and Ginta and Hakkaku can take care of things for a little while -

If anything, he moves faster than he did with his first trial of new powers, and before a quarter of an hour had passed he burst past the edge of the village and came to a stop in the midst of a whirlwind of dust, his eyes seeking back and forth for the old miko, Kaede.

She is there almost immediately. Her sense of his presence is strong, and he is familiar to her now, at least in that way; there is more to him now, a swelling energy, a flash of power, and her eyes are old but still, she sees clearly the pair of shards implanted in his legs and isn't sure how she should feel about that, if there's anything she should say.

She holds her silence, and bows to him, and when she looks up and has time to take in his expression, the taut edges of his unnatural features, she is glad that is all she has done.

"Kouga-sama, what brings you back so soon? I trust the girl is well?"

"Kagome's fine; there's other trouble – I came for my armor, old woman. I hope you kept it safe."

"Yes – yes, it is quite safe, I haven't touched it; it is where and as you left it."

"Good."

Without further words Kouga makes his way into her house and begins to strap the armor on; no reason to carry it, no reason to wait. In a matter of moments the burnished breastplate gleams across his chest, and Kouga stretches his arms and does up the last few straps and buckles, feeling more himself. It doesn't look like much, but it is no mere samurai's armor – infused with youki from twenty generations of pack Alphas, strengthened with the blood of ten thousand kills, beaten many times but never broken, it is one of a kind and it has protected Kouga well for many years now.

Kaede stares at him and considers the kind of trouble that has probably come for him; considers how seriously he seems to be taking it, even to the point of returning here for his armor so soon...considers, and then goes to the corner and takes up her spare bow and a quiver full of arrows.

Kouga is already at the door, and he turns to toss of some quick remark over his shoulder and then stops to stare critically at Kaede as she approaches him with her arms full of weapons.

"You're stupid if you think you have a chance -"

"I do not seek to attack you; it is for the girl. She's a strange one, but I sensed the power in her. If there is trouble with youkai, then she will be a great ally to you, but a weapon like this is far safer for her to use than a sword or her bare hands."

Kouga stares for a moment. He hasn't yet had a chance to think about what it really means – having Kagome with him. The thought that she has useful powers, that she might not always need protecting, is a new one, but he accepts it at one, without argument. Has he not already seen how strong her power can be? Has he not already tasted it, working its healing magic on Sho?

He takes the bow and quiver from Kaede.

A/N: Hello dears, another day, another chapter...another chance for Kouga to tear something apart! Today's chapter title, "velocius sentiens" translates to "faster than feeling" - because of course Kouga is one speedy guy now! I have fun playing with Kouga and Kaede; she's so calm and old, and yet has fire enough to deal with Inuyasha in canon - it amuses me to see how she reacts to Kouga, who's much more insulting while being...much less insulting. Ah, Kouga! At any rate, more will be forthcoming tomorrow, as always, and I thank the multiplying many of my reviewers (past 100 already! oh joy!)!

Please Review!