Later on in the afternoon, everyone sat relaxing by the river, with the exception of Inuyasha who was currently in the middle of training. He had to sharpen and shape up his fighting skills and techniques if he was going to even have a shot at taking down this new and most-likely formidable demon.
Kura looked over to her father and inwardly sighed. She still couldn't get over the fact that he was acting so overly protective of both Nekura and herself. Was it because he had lost women in the past? He had already lost her mother in the long fought battle with Naraku and Kikyo had been submerged into the depths of Hell, or so she had been told. He had told her many times that he would always protect her no matter what the cost or circumstances. She loved him dearly for that and showed her gratitude each and every day of her life. She then noticed that Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala and Nekura were all staring at her with curious faces.
"Is something wrong Kura?" Sango inquired.
Kura shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong, really. I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff, that's all…" Her words then began to trail off so that eventually nobody except herself could understand them. This caused concern to rise amongst everyone.
"Are you sure? I mean, if something's bothering you, you can tell us. We're here for you Kura and we're not about to leave you anytime soon," Sango stated assuringly. Kura only looked up at her with a saddened expression plastered across her face.
"Just don't worry about me, all right? I'll be okay. I just need some time to reflect on my thoughts, that's all. I have so many things running through my mind right now it's giving me a headache," the half-demon moaned groggily as she bent down and splashed some of the cold water from the river onto her face. "That feels better," she added, shaking her head to rid both her face and bangs of all the access water droplets. She then stood up and headed over towards where her father was still training.
"I'm worried…" Nekura softly spoke.
"I am too, but it's best to leave her be for a while. After all, she is Inuyasha's daughter and has inevitably inherited his attitude as well as his stubbornness," Sango added as Miroku nodded in agreement. Nekura only looked at them and then turned her gaze to where Kura was currently heading. She seemed somewhat depressed but was doing an awfully good job of hiding it.
Suddenly, just as Kura managed to approach Inuyasha's side, an unexpected gust of wind, or should I say a tornado came blowing in from the east. The minute the twister subsided, Inuyasha wasn't too pleased to see who it was that had appeared. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Nekura and Kilala all watched the figure intently as the debris flying around their heads finally fell to the ground.
"Koga…" Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
The wolf-demon smirked. "Well, well…it's been a long time, hasn't it mutt face?" That comment made Inuyasha nearly boil over in anger. Kura just looked at Koga in confusion and then back at her father with the same expression.
"Who's he?" Kura asked inquisitively.
Inuyasha replied with only a grumble. Sango decided to take this time to answer Kura's question, seeing as Inuyasha wasn't exactly in the mood to do it himself.
"That's Koga, the wolf-demon. He's one of your father's biggest rivals and they're always fighting, even in the midst of an important battle…" Sango heaved a heavy sigh before continuing. "I swear, it's almost impossible to get them to co-operate. It's like telling cats and dogs not to fight…it's never going to happen…" Kura sighed and looked back over to the two demons that looked like they were about ready to kill each other.
"So mutt, where's Kagome?" Inuyasha tightly clenched his teeth as he hesitated a reply. Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kura all looked at each other sadly. They knew what was coming and only hoped that Koga wouldn't say anything to offend Inuyasha. He had been through enough already and didn't need people ragging on him for something that he couldn't reverse.
"She's…gone…" Inuyasha murmured almost inaudibly under his breath.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Koga asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"I MEAN SHE'S GONE DAMMIT!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.
Koga's eyes widened in shock. "You mean you killed her?"
By now Inuyasha was ready to snap…more so. "I DIDN'T KILL HER!" He then lowered his voice to almost a mere whisper. "It was Naraku…he killed her. I couldn't stop him. I tried, but it was no use. He kidnapped Kagome and told me that if I didn't hand over the Tetsusaiga to him then Kagome would die. I didn't want to hand over my father's sword, but at the same time I didn't want Kagome to suffer. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. What was I to do? I couldn't attack, I felt like I couldn't move…I just felt so useless. He killed Kagome when he took my silence as a "no" to handing over the Tetsusaiga…" Inuyasha felt his knees start to shake but practically forced himself to remain standing. He wasn't about to give Koga the satisfaction in thinking that he was dog in more ways than one.
"So you failed to save her, is that it? Stupid mutt. You obviously weren't destined to be with her if you can't even do something as simple as rescuing her. What's more important, the Tetsusaiga or Kagome's safety? I personally would of picked option B, but that's just me. You obviously only care about your stupid sword and nothing else. Pathetic dog…" Koga scoffed. Inuyasha simply lowered his head without saying so much as another word. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Nekura all looked at the half-demon with worry etched onto their faces. Kura, however, looked the most worrisome out of the whole group. She slowly approached her father as she extended her right hand to place it gently on his shoulder. The minute he felt that gesture, he pulled back and looked at his daughter firmly yet still slightly depressive.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that…please forgive me…" were his final words before he ran off into the forest. As soon as he disappeared out of sight, Kura turned to Koga looking angrier than she had ever been in her entire life.
"You bastard…" she cursed. "Why do you have to be such a jerk? I meet you for the first time and this is the way you act? Now I see why my father despises you. You're nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered, cowardly wolf pup. I just hope that one day my father sends you running home with your tail between your legs," the young demon girl smirked.
"You think so, do ya? Well it just so happens that I have actually saved your motherquite a few times, with no help from your father, that is…"
"So? I know that my father loved my mother dearly and would do anything for her. My father has told me all about the things that had happened when she was still alive. She was a very brave and courageous woman and I hope to someday grow up to be just like her. So why don't you take your foolish nonsense and tell it to somebody that actually cares? I'm leaving and I suggest that you do as well, otherwise, if you're still here when I get back, you won't be left in one piece when I get through with ya…"
Koga didn't look frightened in the least. "Whatever," and with that, Koga headed back in the direction of the wolf-demon tribe's den.
Kura turned to the others. "I'll be back. I'm going to see how my father's holding up. I didn't trust the way he was acting when he left and I'm afraid he might try something drastic. I already lost my mother and I don't need to lose him too…he's all I have left… " she sobbed silently.
Sango placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand. Go and find your father. We'll stay in the village and wait for you."
Kura attempted a small smile. "Thanks. I'll see you later." With that, she jumped up into a high tree and began jumping from branch to branch in search of Inuyasha. She wouldn't rest until she found him…and a way to cheer him up…