A/N: well the big long awaited meeting of Kouga and Kagome is finally in this chapter. Aren't we all happy, I know I am. As always enjoy. I will be taking of where I left.
Disclaimer: this story is based on a book called 'the silver wolf' by Alice Borchardt and of course the Inu yasha characters don't belong to me either.
Ps: voice where are thou? You were missed.
THE SILVER WOLF
BY PANTHERA1984
CHAPTER 8
Fighting to stay conscious Kagome felt her body start to react most violent to the poison that had been in her food. Never in her whole live had she felt this miserable and being caged and in Naraku's presence wasn't making things any better. The later decided to mock her some more.
"Well I see that Lady Kagura knows her poison, really nothing I ever tried on your father worked. This however seems to be doing a nice job of keeping you quiet." Naraku said his voice mocking, laughter lining it, making Kagome feel a huge burning anger.
"You bastard don't talk about my father you." Kagome shouted then stopped when she thought about what she was doing, this was nothing like her, this poison was doing more to her than only keeping her weak.
"Ku ku ku. Not talk about him, no I don't think, I'm quit done yet. Now we'll talk some more. See when I found out that poison didn't work I convinced your dear departed mother what she was really married to, and that she needed to help me get rid of him. She told me about a place where she and that freak snuck of to, to have some time alone. When she was distracting him I shot him in the back, straight through the heart, dead instantly." Naraku walked closer to the bars his red eyes on Kagome, enjoying her hurt immensely.
"Of course I rather had he suffered, but I got what I wanted, of course your mother took it hard, she really loved him and that's why she kept you and took you of on all those stupid money eating journeys. The whole family heritance she got from that man she spend on it, not leaving a single gold piece to us. BITCH." Naraku flung the last word to her head, like one would wield a battle axe.
Kagome tried to crawl back as far as she could but she already had reached the bars and all she could do was push her self into the bars. Never in her life had she seen Naraku as she saw him now. A man insane witch his wants and love for money, despicable. And now she was his only way of obtaining a fortune for him self, the thought only was enough to send ice cold shiver up and down Kagome's spine.
Trying to gain some form of comfort Kagome crawled to the darkest corner of the cage, so that her other self could come to the surface and start to neutralize the poison. From what Naraku had told her poison had never effected her father, so maybe the wolf inside him had a way to get rid of it, at any rate it was worth a try and thinking about something else helped her to master her fear.
The darkness calmed her nerves and Kagome was able to concentrate on something more than just Naraku, and with the coming of her other half her senses sharpened. Kagome could hear the noise of fighting people in the room she had run out of, and if she was not mistaken that woman cursing like a common sailor was Kikyo.
A small smile lifted Kagome's lips, who would have thought that Kikyo was able of such colorful language. Then her ears picked something else up, running, running to her was a small person. Kagome sucked in her breath, Shippo.
At the same time she realized that Shippo was heading straight to her and to Naraku, a wave of nausea took over and made her hurl up one excellent dinner. While Kagome was throwing up Naraku sneered and grabbed the bars.
"So, you're save, for now. Same thing happened with your father every time I tried to poison him. That monster inside of him always got rid of the poison before it could do any real damage." Naraku snarled, his fist clenching the bars so hard his knuckles looked like to be popping out of there skin any moment.
"Well no matter I didn't want you dead so soon, your still going to help me get the riches of that cave Kouga something. So listen closely and I might not hurt you to bad, dear niece." Naraku hissed.
Too caught up in another wave of throwing up Kagome could not utter a word, and even as she bend over to get rid of last of the poison left in her stomach, Kagome thought she had to utter some kind of warning to Shippo. Anything that would make him leave his present course would do.
At the bars Naraku pulled him self close to the bars, his red eyes holding a wild and insane light in them. "Yes, you will be handing me over al that splendid gold and then you will kill your husband and then your self, it will be an unsolved mystery by the time I'm done with covering up." Naraku's voice became dreamy as he envisioned him self leaving with all that riches he heard about.
His fist lost there tight grip on the bars and he took a step back. "By the time anybody will even have an inkling of what happened I'll be so fare gone, it is gonna be like I was just a bad dream. Ku ku ku ku." Naraku fell in a fit of icy cold pleasure, the kind that made every hair on Kagome's body stand on end.
Finally Kagome felt her body become more and more wolfish, even without the required moonlight she was changing, and her ears could hear Shippo coming closer still. Frentic Kagome did the first thing that came to mind, she had to do something, anything to get Shippo to safety. She would not forgive her self if anything happened to the small red head.
Retreating from her dark corner Kagome slowly approached the bars unaware that she walked like a prowling predator, her eyes glowing with a soft piercing bleu light, her mouth pulled back in a snarl through witch small fangs could be seen. The closer she got to the bars the longer her nails became, until each was at least a inch in length and deadly sharp.
Just before she reached the bars Kagome readied her self for a jump, her eyes on Naraku who was still caught up in his own pleasure. Letting out a roar Kagome attacked her slime wrists easily passing the bars, her nails sinking into Naraku. Somewhere in the back of her mind Kagome could her a falter in Shippo's footsteps, but then instead of heeding the warning, the little boy attacked.
Eyes wide open with astonishment Kagome saw the little boy launch himself at Naraku's left leg. Time seemed to slow down while she watched Shippo fly through the air and attach him self to Naraku's left. It was with horror that Kagome saw Shippo sink his teeth into Naraku's leg.
In her shock Kagome re-treaded her hand and nails from Naraku's arm and the pain crazed man, freed from one attacker, could focus entirely on the little boy. Shaking his leg in attempt to fling the boy off, Naraku found that, that, was only making things worse for him self.
Bending down he reached for the little kid, his one arm thickly coated in his own blood that dripped to the floor in crimson puddles. Just then Kagome's mind came back to action and time seemed to be standing still for a second, then go fast forward. Not thinking but acting purely out of instinct, Kagome grabbed for Naraku to stop him from getting to Shippo, who was still happily dangling from Naraku's leg. Somewhere in the back of her mind the wolf in Kagome appreciated the firm hold this young cub had, damn fine set of teeth, she hummed at Kagome.
Kagome managed to get hold of Naraku's jacked and with a jerking motion she pulled him into the bars, hard. Naraku's head crushed into the bars with a sickening crack and his body went limp. Not prepared to carry his full weight Kagome let go of him and watch him sink onto the floor with morbid fascination. It wasn't until a small voice reached her that she came back to the present.
"Kagome, look I got the keys, but the lock is to high." There stood Shippo Kagome could see him as clearly as if she was watching him by daylight, but to him she was nothing more than a grey blur, Kagome thank what ever god looked over her that he wasn't able to see her slightly changed form.
"I tried jumping, but that was no good, poppa always tells me that I will grow reaaaaaaaal big, just like Aoshi. But I don't think I want to be that big, cause Aoshi is always followed by girls and kissing them, who wants to kiss girls, I'll get cooties. Yuck." Shippo ranted on while Kagome took the key's from his outstretched hand and opened the lock.
The moment she stepped from those four walls of iron, a huge rush o appreciation washed over her. Those few moment being in there had been worse than hiding a life time. Her advanced hearing picked up the ending battle in the main room and she was glad to note that Kikyo had managed her own. Although she probably was a bit banged up and still sending curses left and right.
Kneeling down next to the small boy Kagome picked him up and hugged him close, bringing her mouth to his ear. "Listen very careful Shippo, I have a very important message you have to bring to Kikyo, good.?" She waited for him to nod in understanding.
"Alright, when everything is calmed down I need you to go to Kikyo and tell her this; I'm going to Inu yasha and I'll be back by sundown at her villa. When I'm not back tell her to start looking for me on the open plains. Go now, and keep out of harms way, and for the love of god, don't ever hang in someone's leg again. Or at least not in Naraku's, he'll kill you." Kagome dropped the tiny body, giving him a gentle push in the right direction and watched him until she was sure he was safely hidden from the still trampling crowds.
Nodding to her self she turned around and found her self eye to eye with Onigumo, Naraku's son however just shuddered, pied in his pants before fainting and joining his father on the floor. 'that went easy' Kagome thought to her self, but now was not the time to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
Stepping over the bodies that besmirched the ground Kagome went outside, dropping one article of clothing after another. When she reached the door that would bring her out into the fresh air, Kagome was completely naked, safe for the mirror that she held in her clutches. It was time to go save Inu yasha.
Stepping outside Kagome raised her head to the moon, letting the light wash over her and gladly taking on her wolf form. Then where had stood a woman, now a big silver wolf had taken her place. The lean predator did not hesitate, it new that it was a busy night and she had to start moving right away.
Gracefully leaping through the garden and over the thick wall Kagome run to freedom and the duties that came with obtaining it. While running through Rome Kagome wrinkled her nose in disgust at the penetrating vapors that pas that particular abused part of her.
Rome might look great in the eyes of humans but Kagome wolf senses told a completely other story, it was a dieing corpse. With her enhanced senses she could not only see it clearly, but smell it even better.
Deciding to breath as shallow as possible Kagome kept on running, and with each step she left Rome behind her, exchanged it for the open freshness of the plains, and got closer to Inu yasha and maybe a cure for him also.
Under the star scattered sky Kagome lifted her head and let out a howl, pouring all her joy, sadness, liberty and energy in it. To her own astonishment she could hear an answer in the distance.
Faltering in her step Kagome's ear perked up and listened to the answer to her howl, she had never guessed that Roma still had wolves prowling her plains. At any other given time she would have taken a look, but not tonight, tonight she would finish business one way or the other. At any rate, after tonight Inu yasha would be cured or the disease would take him, and tonight she might follow him to that other live as well. Only time could tell now.
Strengthening her decision Kagome set of to the boy with whom she left Inu yasha, her nose in the air and her ears moving in the direction of every little sound, Kagome was more on guard than ever, she could not make mistakes.
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It was not until after running for at least an hour that Kagome felt that something was off, for some reason she kept picking up Inu yasha's send coming near the temple already. At first she had shaken it of as stupid, he could not be there, he was after all with the boy.
But then she waft of scents had gotten more frequent and fresh. Inu yasha was near the temple and there where at least three unknown men with him. Her ears twitched when she picked up chanting, priest, Inu yasha was with priest. Kagome could even begin to phantom why he was with them and at that place out of all the other places they could have gone too.
On guard Kagome began to move into the direction the scents came from, her prowling form completely blending in with her environment. In the sky starts twinkled and the moon enlightened the patches of grass it could reach through the trees. Nothing gave of that there was a female wolf preparing for battle, nothing gave of that something could even be slightly wrong.
Kagome reached there camp soon enough, and what she saw almost made her forget all caution. There around a roaring fore sat Inu yasha, a blanked of coarse wool wrapped around his shoulders, and the three priests settled opposite him, talking quietly among themselves.
They seemed to be waiting for something, Inu yasha would look around, scanning the area for something, Kagome could feel his yellow eyes upon her, but he didn't see her and his eyes wondered away.
Deciding she could better get things over with she slowly walked out of her hiding place, the noted that one priests noticed her but made no movement to stop her or drive her of. He only watched her for a moment before nodding to Inu yasha an continue the conversation with his fellow priests.
Inu yasha turned around again, this time noticing Kagome's silver form at once, he stood up and walked over to her. "Well Lupa, tonight is going to be the night isn't it." His voice held no question in it, he only stated a fact, Kagome nodded.
" Well tell me Lupa or should I say Kagome now?" Inu yasha waved his hand and shook his head. " Don't worry I won't tell your secret, it is save with me, but, if I make it through, I would like to hear the full story." There was a longing in Inu yasha's voice, it told Kagome how much he still wanted to live.
With no more time to spare Kagome raised her self up changing into her wolfish human form. She spoke " I need you to lay down in one of those fire pits, let the priests guard you like they were doing just before, I will go up to the temple, if I succeed you will face sunrise as a whole, healthy man." Her voice was ruffed and came out with a raspy low tune laced through it. Emotions made her unable to keep her true nature more hidden.
Inu yasha's eyes shone with an intense light, then he nodded and started walking to one of the pits that had not been used for many centuries. Just before he was to lie down, he looked back at the now again wolf Kagome. " You might not survive this, isn't it Lupa?" the wolf just stood her eyes holding his unwavering.
It was all the answer Inu yasha needed. "You need never worry again Lupa, if its need to be, I will take you away and keep you save." Kagome left just then, but the words rung into her ears all the way up to the temple, they gave her strength and for the first time in her live she felt wanted. Never before someone had wanted her, her and her true self.
Kagome entered the temple, already the ever changing woman stood there, waiting for her to arrive, there was one difference with her previous visit though, no matter what form the woman took, there was a smile on each one of them, a smile that held secrets in it, a smile that told Kagome that she was pleased that the young woman had come.
While she chanced from a young woman to middle aged, to old and dead, the woman beckoned Kagome and leaded her to the back through a door Kagome had not seen before. Just before the door Kagome stopped, the woman had already gone through, Kagome knew she had to go, but her instincts were screaming and raging telling her that what ever was beyond this door was not meant for the leaving.
Kagome's hair began to stand on end and she started to growl, fighting with her self, fighting between passing this door and turning tail and run as far away as she could. Then a shadow of Inu yasha's voice echoed through her head, burning and sinching away her doubt, Kagome stepped through the door.
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Sango watched her pack mates carefully while they settled in the small villa Kouga had rented for the occasion. It was a place that had not seen inhabitants for a long time and needed some patching up, but Sango knew that she and her group would finish the job within a few hours, the place would not be recognized after that.
Leaving the lords and ladies privet area Sango moved through the kitchen to a build on room, this place was far better of, but only because it had been added on much later. This room would be used for the wedding ceremony, it was big, would look elegant in candle light and could hold quit a few people without becoming to crowded.
Already Sango had put some of the villa slaves to work on cleaning this area out, already she had some of the male wolfs find some good quality furniture to fill the room with, they should be back in a short while, she had sad that Kouga wanted everybody in before sundown. He had also forbidden them to prowl the city in there wolf forms, unleash they had asked him first and given him a good enough reason.
Of course they could prowl the plains to there hearts contempt, but Sango knew that most wolfs would be tracking over the city these coming nights, they wouldn't rest until they had at least an inkling of there temporary territory.
Sango was abruptly brought back to the present by a hand that slightly squeezed her butt. "Hentai!" Sango screamed, whipping around and bringing her fist down on Miroku's head.
The brown wolf violet eyes glazed for a moment, then he swooned and fell ungracefully to the floor. He came back to conscious before he hit the ground though, and managed to land on his butt rather than his face. Rubbing the assaulted area Miroku looked up, only to meet Sango's eyes burning with a promise of much, much more than what he had just received.
Both wolfs snapped from there starring game by a soft low rumble coming from the doorway, turning around Sango stiffened for a moment before mellowing and greeting Kouga with a small smile. "One of these days Kouga, you will have to start looking for a new captain of the guard."
"He, I protest."
Kouga snorted and walked in, his eyes wondering over the chances that had already been brought on the villa. He nodded to Sango in gratitude, before bending down to howl Miroku up.
"You up for some late night hunting?" Kouga asked his eyes on Sango, while his hands still held Miroku upright, apparently that punch of hers had managed to do some damage this time.
Sango's eyes clouded over for a moment. "Yes, I don't see why not, it has been a long time since we last roamed these lands, let's see if there is still something from those good old days." Shaking her head, whipping her long tresses back Sango followed Kouga outside.
"You know Miroku, I thought you were made of stronger stuff." Sango noted.
The brown wolf still staggered but was able to stand on his own again. "Dearest Sango, one must embrace there feminine site at all times." Miroku stumbled further on, shook his head, and managed to stop the world from twirling around his head. He didn't notice the fire in Sango's eyes.
"So you say females are weak." Anger made her voice short and clipped. Her fist was trembling with the desire to connect to that tick scull of his again. She was stopped however by Kouga.
His hand had grabbed her trembling fist and he shook his head, Sango hung her head in submission. She scolded her self, she should have know better than to let her self be riled up by such a young pup as Miroku.
"Follow me, I know a good way out that those not attract attention to three wolfs." Kouga's soft voice reached to two other wolfs, making Miroku turn around, see Sango's heated expression, and pale. He could only deal with a punch like that every 24 hours. Yup, she loved him.
Sango snorted in disgust when the wolf lost his fear and lavished her with a goofy smile instead, that poor bugger would just never learn. You would think he had some brains, but no, he just had testosterone, and lots of it too.
Kouga ignored his two pack mates and there little starring contest and changed to his much preferred wolf form. Tonight, with the moon so bright, he grounds were calling him, it was time to hunt, hunt something. Something.
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Fire, blazing fire and howling people, begging for help. There arms with skin falling from the bones extended to her in a age old gesture of pleading, these people were suffering. There faces scared and dried up, eyes just black wholes and mouths that could only produce a painful wailing.
The moment Kagome passed the door, the real world disappeared, the door went along with it. To make matters worse her wolf form was ripped from her painfully, for the first time she was completely human, and she hated it.
Pressing her self against the wall where just moments ago the door had been, Kagome looked at what was before her, nothing but what had to be hell. There was no other explanation for it, where else would people suffer as such she saw before her now. To make it worse they had seemed to all feel her presence and turn there soul attention towards her, goody.
Her mind frantic Kagome eyed the poor creatures before, then she noted the path. She gulped down a heavy builder. Her throat felt raspy and her eyes became teary, she would have to wade through these people to get to the woman, she knew she would have to. But knowing but doing were to completely different things. For just a second Kagome felt she would have been better of in Naraku's cage.
Then something Kagome had never thought would happen, the thought of that disgusted man gave her just what she needed, the courage to go into this place and face whatever it would bring her.
Feeling that she had to act fast before she lost all courage Kagome stepped forward, a hand more bones than flesh touched her ankle. Kagome suppressed a shudder, then ignored it and took another step. Three of the creatures hung on her leg now and from the corner of her eye she saw more coming closer by the second.
Felling her stomach protest, Kagome started to jog, ripping her self lose from the pitiful things that clung to her, but try as she might she could not ignore them. Kagome stopped, her body held stiff her eyes locked on to something in the distance, then she slowly made her self look down, look down into the eyes of one of those dead.
Her shuddering stopped, and she felt guilty of her previous thoughts. The longer she looked into those dark wholes the sadder she became. Her she was always feeling condemned by the people around her because she was not like them, but now the first chance she had, she was condemning these people her self.
So what if they no longer had there human forms, they had once been human, and her she was damning them. She had no right to. Kagome reached down to one of the pitiful forms and for a moment she saw a pare of the most beautiful lime green eyes, shining with thankfulness, a tear slipping from the right eye. Then a warm wind whooshed past her blowing black hair in Kagome's face. Shrugging her head Kagome freed her self, the horror of before was now replaced with a room very similar to the temple, but yet it was deferent, this was the domain of the woman.
And there she was sitting on a throne made of bones, at her right stood a beautiful woman with red hair a sword in her hand. The woman rose from her seat and open her arms welcoming Kagome, telling her to join her.
Still a bit shocked from her experience Kagome walked to the woman, every once in a while she felt a shudder leap down her spine. Still a bit unsure Kagome kept looking left and right, expecting one of those dead people to pop out at any given moment, she could feel a muscles straining readying to jump aside.
He tension didn't leave her when she finally reached the woman who had now assumed the form of the dead woman Kagome had seen that unfaithful day at the small temple. The mother with the boy who had sat so peacefully by the water. There was one thing that comforted Kagome though, the woman had stopped her ever changing cycles, she was still the same woman.
"I see that you have passed the first test, to give compassion to something you fear is hard, but you managed. For that I will tell you how to get what you need." She beckoned Kagome closer before seating down back on her throne.
Kagome obeyed. Her eyes wondering from the to woman to the red head standing next to the throne. At least she looked alive, though her eyes held no live in them. Kagome wondered who she had been in life, and somewhere in the back of her mind she felt a memory twitch.
"There is one more thing you have to do before you can gain the knowledge of how to heal your friend. Are you willing?" the woman asked her voice soft. Kagome nodded.
The woman beckoned the red head forward. "Hold out your hand, either will do, and whatever happens don't pull away, at least not unless you do not wish your friend to heal." Kagome swallowed hard at the last statement, that did not sound to great.
The red headed woman stepped forward and it was on this moment that Kagome recognized her. It was the same woman from back at where she met Inu yasha. But now she no longer sported the horrible wounds and her real looks were revealed. She was beautiful and it made Kagome sad that her beauty had been destroyed by someone.
For a moment she smiled at Kagome and nodded when she saw the recognition in the other woman's eyes. The with a lightning movement she brought up her sword and cut into Kagome's hand, Kagome had not seen it coming and what happened only penetrated her brain when her hand started to hurt.
Pain burned through her hand and brought her down on her knees. She brought her other hand up to stop the wounded limp from falling against her body. She still heard the words the woman had spoken, she was to hold out her hand no matter what happened. She would pass this test too, she would help Inu yasha.
Then from a shadow on the ground a form began to rise, at first it was nothing more than a black lump, but then it rapidly began to form into one of the dead creatures from before, but this one did not attempt to reach her it went for the puddle of blood that had began to form before Kagome.
Kagome to shocked did nothing but stare at the mummified form that lapped up her blood like it was water to a dried out person. A pang of disgust formed in Kagome's chest but she kept holding out her hand, then the creature uprightend her self and attached her mouth to Kagome's hand, only the image of Inu yasha kept her going then, that thing was drinking her blood straight from the wound. She could feel a tongue lap up her blood, it disgusted her, but that was soon she found something else to hold her attention.
The dead person before began to change, reform. Flesh was returning to her again, her beauty was restored to her. And soon where had lied a corpse now stood a splendid woman, she snatched the mirror Kagome still carried from her and looked at her self in the shiny object.
She coed at her self while she let her fingers run over her face, through her hair pulling it up and turning her head left and right to give her self a better view. She was completely enchanted with her own looks. Kagome wrinkled her nose and took her view steps back. This person clearly only cared about her self, how could she ever expect help from her.
While Kagome watched the red headed woman before her, her lips red from the blood she had fed her self with, the woman had silently walked next to her. She too looked at the young woman before her. But unlike Kagome she did not stood by silently.
"You owe her help Ayame- Kagome gasped when she heard that name- she gave you back what you wanted, now you pay back your depth." The red haired woman wrinkled her nose and her green eyes kept looking at the reflection in the mirror. She brought her hand back up and managed to make pig tails of her wonderful silky looking red hair. She completely ignored the woman and Kagome for that matter.
Kagome looked at the woman to see what she would do, and what she saw made her step back and widened her eyes in fear. The woman's eyes were glowing a eerie pink and earth started to tremble. Her outline became fuzzy and she seemed to grow to immense proportions, her voice boomed through the room.
"Ayame you will pay up or you will lose what you whished for." This time the woman did look up from her reflection, she clutched the mirror to her breast like it was her child and she snarled at the woman. She was a picture of a mother defending her baby, it was twisted that she was just doing this for a mirror in which she could gaze upon her own beauty.
She stopped her snarling and hung her shoulders and head, but Kagome could see the hateful glare directed at her. Then like a grumpy little girl she snatched out of her position and stood in all regale like a queen looking down at her servants. It made Kagome want to snarl back, it was this woman who was responsible for Inu yasha's decease, she did not deserved to get what she wanted, but if it would help Inu yasha she had no other choice but to listened and take what was offered to her.
"You will need to walk down this road until you reach a river of fire, you will find lost souls there, they can not pass the river because they cling to life still. You need to find one that is willing to help you cross the river, but you can not speak with them. Do so and you too are condemn to stay there forever." Ayame's voice was like a humming bird, a voice one would expect to hear from a angel, not such a dreadful being as her self.
"Past the river you will find a garden, Daedalus garden. It is within this garden that you will find a person that is able to help you." With those last words Ayame began to fade away, her body already returned to its pitiful state, but Kagome could see that when Ayame looked in the mirror she still saw her beauty, she would see her beauty last for all eternity. She would not age and she could gaze upon her self as much as she longed for. She thought she had been disgusted before, she had to rectify her opinion, she was more disgusted now.
The woman next to Kagome turned around and pointed to a road that began just near the throne, Kagome stepped in it's direction but was halted. "Whatever you do, do not heal the wound in your hand, it is you only link to the real world, your only doorway back." And then Kagome was free to go. The temple room was gone and all what was left was a dusty old road.
Sighing Kagome began her journey, she found that here she was back in her wolf form once again, it helped to ease her mind now that the wolf was back, but with each step she took she felt the cut in her paw burn and twitch, how she wanted to lick it clean, but the words of the woman stopped her.
Putting her paw out of her mind Kagome started to run, she had no idea how much time had passed back there, but she was sure it had been more than she could miss.
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Hours, Kagome felt she was running for hours. And the view did not help. She passed one burned out village after another. She even stopped at one to seek for water, but all she had found was burned wood and sand. There was no trace that these places had ever been inhabitant. Not even one broken chair.
Sighing Kagome kept going her run from before had long ago turned to a sluggish walk, and still there was no sight of the fire river Ayame had spoken of. Maybe the bitch had lied about it, but Kagome was sure the woman would not have permitted lies, so the river had to be real.
Weary and tired Kagome had stopped paying attention to the whole of her surroundings some time ago, but when she heard wailing she looked up, and was met with dark ghostlike beings. And just like ghost they passed through walls and rocks. A bit further she saw what could be nothing but the fire river, and at the same time she saw it the smell of sulfur hit her nose, making her sneeze.
Hesitating for a moment Kagome firmed her self and approached the river all the while she looked around for a potential river carrier. But she didn't think that one of these ghost was suited, they were so caught up in there own misery that they did not even notice her presence.
Limping closer to the river Kagome decided to follow it and hope that lady luck was on her site and maybe she would then find someone to help her. By now her wounded paw screamed each time she placed it on the ground and she was getting wearier by the seconds.
She sneezed, then sneezed again, the last one making her head bud the ground. For a moment the world swam before her eyes and she fount her own blood trail oddly fascinating. Then all became right again, well except for the major headache she now had to add to her injuries. Taking a deep breath Kagome started to limp forward again.
She felt like crying, crying and howling at the same time, and for a moment she remembered hearing the wolf out on the plain, maybe, maybe when she got back she could find them sometime, she would like to meet some of her wild cousins.
Then the blessed vision of the plain turned to vapors and Kagome was back in hell again, feeling like she would drop dead any second Kagome felt desperate and she looked around at the wondering ghost, maybe she could ask just one, there that one did not look so bad as the others.
Kagome changed direction and limped half crawled to the one ghost she had picked out. In fact he or she was just as worse as the others, but in Kagome fog pained mind it didn't really matter any more. She long ago forgotten who Inu yasha was and all that reminded her of Ayame by now was a shadow with a mirror clutched to her breast. Oddly the most prominent thing was a orange ball, alive and vibrant with energy, who had it been, it had been a young child. She felt like she should be able to recall his name, she just couldn't and in the end she didn't care too.
She questioned her self about not licking her paw, but that too was discarded as costing to much energy, Kagome kept approaching the wailing ghost, what was it again she wanted to ask from it?
Then out of the bleu a huge grey form leaped out and took a dive, scooping her up. The wolf, Kagome recognized, kept running and with a few huge jumps settled down at the other edge of the fire river. Slowly he let her slip down on the green grass and settled down beside her, his grey eyes looking at her with worry.
Slowly but surely the fog in Kagome's head cleared and she was able to think again, and she was horrified at what she had almost done. If it had not been for this wolf she would have become one of those mindless souls at the other side of the river. For a moment panic grabbed Kagome, but it was calmed down by a warm tongue liking her face.
She put her attention o the wolf, he was big, bigger than a normal wolf. And Kagome gasped standing up, wobbling for a bit, but standing again. Before she could out any kind of sound the wolf before her changed. And where had stood a ash grey wolf now stood a man. "I am Wolfstan." He said, and Kagome wanted to cry out 'father?'.
He smiled down on her and gestured her to lie down. "Do not worry daughter mine, you have almost reached your goal. I am sorry we have no time to spare but I am glad that you have grown up to be such a splendid piece of womanhood. Go with the wind my daughter and do not worry, for no matter where, know that I am with you. Seeing what you see, feeling what you feel."
He crouched down before her and took her head in his hands gently, giving her a loving kiss on the nose. "Know that you never have been alone and never will be, I have been with you even before you were borne. I was right there with you when you saw life for the first time, when you filled your lungs for the first time. I was there when they hurt you and humiliated you, I cried with you and laughed with you. And know this I do not blame your mother, she was always so obedient and Naraku was her only family she had left."
He let go of Kagome's head and stood again, to her he seemed to be huge, and ever so good looking, how she would have loved to be brought up by him, but it had not been mend to be, Naraku made sure it had not been mend to be.
A sad smile crossed his face. "Don't worry daughter mine, we are inseparable, my blood is your blood, you never can be alone, I will not allow it." Her father changed into his wolf form and brought his head back and howled, it was at this moment the most beautiful sound Kagome had ever heard, and tears silently fell from Kagome eyes as she etched the vision he presented into her heart. Never would she allow her self to forget his image, she would take what the faiths had given her to her grave and beyond that.
He looked at her and his mouth open in a wide smile, then he run into the nearby forest. The same faith that had given her this meeting had made it a short one and it pained her. Why, why could he not have been with her longer? Why?' Kagome screamed inside her head.
I am with you always
And Kagome cried all the harder, but again her paw that she had temporarily forgotten started to pain her again. She had a duty to do. Getting up, feeling strangely tired and at the same time refreshed Kagome limped of in the other direction her father had taken. She new that where he had gone there was no place for her, at least, not yet. Luckily she did not need to walk long to find the garden.
She noticed almost instantly, great joy and happiness threatened to wash her away. But Kagome grabbed her last remaining forces and walked over to, thank the gods, a fountain. Now not really paying attention to her hurting paw Kagome limped over and for a few seconds she dared only to stare at the crystal clear water. She only listened to the tinkling of the water while it fell in the bassain. It looked like a dream, and Kagome was actually a bit afraid to touch it, afraid it would truly turn into a dream. She wouldn't be able to take it.
"You can drink from it, just don't clean your paw in it. See it's the fountain of youth, it restores your health and in your case strength. But if you were to wash your paw in it you would lose that precious connection to the real world, you wouldn't want that, ne?"
Shocked Kagome looked behind her, only to find an old man sitting on a stone bench just a few meters away, she had never heard him coming. Or maybe she had just not noticed him, with her attention on the fountain alone that was very likely reason.
The man smiled pleasantly and waved one hand, urging her to drink from the fountain. Kagome watched him for a few moments more before closing the distance to the fountain, she lowered her head and drank deeply, it was the best water she ever tasted. Her first was gone in a instant, but Kagome kept drinking for a while longer, she liked the way the water coursed through her body, taking away the pain and numbness.
"You know, if you keep that up there will be no water left. My son would be ever so disappointed." The last was more a mumble mend only for himself.
"You know, sometimes I come close to actually going back to earth. If only to see creatures like you. Who knew such things existed. The next time Icarus comes by I will have to tell him."
Kagome head snapped back up and she watched the man sitting there with wonder in her eyes, taking her most human form. She closed in and sat down next to the old man. "You mean Icarus who tried to fly to the sun, but when he got too close his wings melted and he fell down to earth and died, that Icarus?"
The old man chuckled. "I see you know of my son, yes he is quite the adventurer. For me one live time was enough. But Icarus, he keeps going back after visiting me and drinking from the fountain. He is I am afraid one who will never weary from live."
His voice died down, but Kagome did not speak. She had the odd feeling she would not need to ask, not this man. And then as if reading her mind he turned to her. "I see you have found me, and I presume you have a reason to seek me Daedalus out. Let's go to your friend."
The man rose from his seat hooking his arm in Kagome's. "Don't worry ever since you went into the realm beyond no time has passed, we will arrive in time." He walked to an down a old path but then stopped and turned around.
Kagome was grateful, she wanted to take one last look at these little patch of heaven. And while her eyes roamed the place she uttered one question. "Will I be able to ever come back here?" her voice was soft and sad. Somewhere down in her heart she did not want to say goodbye to this peaceful place.
"You might, who know. I will welcome you if you come back. But for now lets help your friend." And Daedalus walked down the path that had a smell of old Magic around it. The garden vanished and the place with the pits came in its place. In one of them Inu yasha was laying the priest sitting by there fire still.
Daedalus let go of Kagome who turned back to her wolf form before following the old man. She watched as Daedalus took something from inside his robe and emptied it over Inu yasha. One of the priest came closer holding a burning branch. Daedalus took it and threw it on Inu yasha.
Kagome gasped when flames engulfed Inu yasha, she did not interfere. She trusted Daedalus. The fire that burned went from red to a fierce bleu, the color of ice, deep frozen ice, then just as suddenly as the chance it died down before dieing out completely.
And there in the middle was a very naked Inu yasha, Kagome managed to take in that he was indeed completely cured before remembering her modesty and closing her eyes. From the pit a laughter rose, first soft then turning into a roar of pleasure.
Pleased Kagome started her journey back to Kikyo's villa, she had a long run for her and she needed all the time she had, the priests would help Inu yasha get back, and she was sure they would spare him a robe. At least she hoped they would, for the sight of him would be lethal to any young woman who might see him naked. And for a short moment Kagome wondered how Ayame could have done what she did. Then she saw the woman standing before her, mirror in the hand. Obviously that question was not really hard to answer, she had wanted to take down with her something equally beautiful, just to salvage her soul.
88o88
Kagome had been running quite long before her paw began to hurt again. Frowning she stopped and settled down, ready give her paw a serious clean up bath with her tongue before continuing her journey, she could spare a few minutes.
Sitting on her haunches Kagome lifted he paw and wrinkled her nose when she saw the dirt in her wound. This was going to be a disgusting task, but it had to be done. How she longed for a nice bath, now she would have to take care of it her self.
Just when she readied her self for the first cleaning lick a howling could be heard somewhere to her right. Kagome's hair began to stand on end, could these be the same wolfs she had heard earlier in the night, he could not face them now, she was weak and a easy prey for them. Wolf did not take kindly to weak, wounded wolfs, surely they would try to take her down.
Forgetting about the cleaning Kagome rose and set of, forgetting everything she had learned from the silver wolf about down wind and how to stalk or retread. She needed to get back to Kikyo's and she would take the shortest route to get there. She walked right into a trap.
From behind her she could hear them gaining and her fear made her run as fast as she could in her present condition. It wasn't until she saw the great river before her that she knew she had trapped her self.
Desperate Kagome swerved and started to follow the river, knowing that she would soon reach the road coming right by Kikyo's villa. Just a little while more, just a little. Kagome tripped and she felt her self fly through the air momentarily before landing at the water edge, her back engulfed into the icy river.
The shock of the cold water made her move almost instantly, but she new that she had lost her precious gain. The wolfs where hear. Looking around Kagome decided to stand with her back to the river, that way at least they could not attack her from behind.
A shiver run through Kagome's body when she saw three wolves coming to her, one pitch black with a strange bleu glow to its fur, one a dark brown but its fur was short as if used to warmer areas and the last one, o my god, the last one was on piece of splendid wolf.
From there seize and form Kagome already knew them to be like her, but never had she imagined something like that steal grey one to exist. He put her father to shame. For a moment Kagome forgot her bad situation and she shook her body sending her silver fur in a soft ripple, all the way she eyed the grey wolf, never letting his eyes go.
A twig snapped and Kagome broke her gaze to watch the black wolf come closer, female she noted, Kagome readied her self for an attack. Her fur rose and she started growling showing a nice set of ivory fangs. Her whole disposition told the coming wolf that she was not to be messed with.
The black wolf kept approaching, Kagome hunched down to attack, she was like the black wolf startled however, by a bark from the grey wolf. He gave the black wolf a warning look before approaching Kagome him self. Unsure what to do Kagome hunkered down, soft whining passing her lips, telling them that she was afraid, unsure.
The black wolf snapped at the grey one and approached her again her eyes holding Kagome telling her all was okay. Then just a few millimeters away she stopped and lied her head down in Kagome neck, exposing her own neck at the same time.
Kagome was for a moment stunned, not familiar with the greeting. Then by instinct she laid her own head down in the black wolfs neck. Then at the same time the females pulled back, the black nudged Kagome's wounded paw, and with some amazement Kagome lifted the wounded limp, to be even more stunned when the black wolf started licking it clean.
All the while the grey and brown wolf stayed back, watching her and the black wolf. At one point she was sure that the brown was flirting to her in an almost human fashion. Sending her hot looks and liking his lips ever so slowly, this was cut short by the grey who managed to thump him on the head, catching his tongue between his teeth, the brown let out a yelp, and eyed the grey wolf evilly before letting Kagome at piece and taking care of his wounded tongue in the river.
Giving the wound a few additional licks the black wolf finally stood back, leaving room for the grey to approach Kagome, they repeated the greeting Kagome had just learned from the black wolf, the same was done with the brown wolf although Kagome was ever so careful with him, she didn't quite trust him. And not because he seemed dangers, no the only true thread could come from the grey, and he was certainly no thread, not to her anyway.
After the ritual welcoming the grey stepped back a bit and nodded his head, Kagome was unsure as what he wanted, but when he repeated the gesture she knew it to be an invitation. Gladness toke over, her was the opportunity to run with her own kind, she could not say no. only god new this might be the only chance she got.
And Kagome followed him into the night, her last look at the sky telling her she had quite some time before sunrise. Kikyo would have to wait just a little while longer, tonight she would be with her own kind of breed, tonight she would not have to be afraid of what she was.
And while she followed, her paw healed. She swore she could hear her father laugh and celebrate with her, she could almost see his ash grey form next to her. It was the best moment of her entire life.
I will be with you always, I will laugh with you, cry with you, hurt with you, you will never be alone, I will not allow it.
ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo
A/n: well finally done. Next chapter we will have more Kagome Kouga action, see it was a cliffy still, we will find out if all goes well with Inu yasha and, will Kagome escape Naraku's clutches yet again. Damn that man does not know how to stop, does he.
And don't forget to review. They keep me going.
NOTE: And one more promise I will put my other stories on hold to finish this one up before continuing them. So expect a quicker update. Wow now we're all really glad. At least I think you are.
Response to reviewers
Silverkitsunekagome: Well here was the update, hope it was enjoyed. ;)
Lyn: I sure will.
BelleDayNight: Thanks for the compliment, and I must agree with you that the first book was kind of a set back, I thought it would be about him meeting Guinevere. From the three books The Silver Wolf is my Fav. And I sure love all werewolf stories, and I am eagerly following your own ones.
Kitsune Kagome: Yes, that would have been better. But at the other hand the story would be awfully dull that way. So a bit of going around the block outs some spice in there.
Kyosama: don't worry I won't stop writing and as you could read I am finishing this story up before going on with my others.
Ahanchan: Yes, I'm feeling bad for him too, but look Kags has gotten him instant healing stuff. And in the next chapter we'll find out if he is truly out of the woods.
Babylemon: Thanks and I will try to.
Moonlight: glad you like it, and maybe its more fun that you can not remember how the story went, that way you have less spoilers on this story. Though you probably now how its ending, in the ruff.
TwiLiteVixen: Oh, you are conjuring up a delicious sight. But don't worry you can bring along the sharp knives for skinning.
Soulless eyes: Thank you and here was your new chappy, hope it was good.
Oath Keeper: I will, I will.
Momo: Yes Madame. :makes a salute: and I hope you liked the meeting, and it is not over yet, more of them will come in the very next chapter.
Broken Lavender: All done. : smiles:
Unknown: sure will.
KuriChan: I know, it really did take long. but did it not be all the sweeter now that they finally did.
Reggie: Thanks, and I will.
Witchyinuyashagurl: Uhm, well… maybe because I can be a very lazy bum sometimes.
