Chapter 4: All We Want
Say you love me to my face
I need it more than your embrace
Just say you want me
That's all it takes
Heart's getting torn
from your mistakes
'Cause I don't want to fall in love
If you don't want to try
But all that I've been thinking of
Is maybe that you might
- Say You Love Me by Jessie Ware
Kagome felt like someone was watching her. She looked behind her and noticed Inuyasha was starring at her back. Was he still mad? His gaze was deep in thought, like he was looking through her at something beyond her reckoning. She turned away with a small blush staining her cheeks. Maybe she was a bit too harsh on the guy. She said the 'sit' command a little more than she should have, but he got her so riled up that she couldn't calm herself. Before she went home she didn't use the 'sit' command too much. Only when he was being too rough with Shippo and bopping him on the head.
Kagome thought about what Sango had said earlier about talking to him. He was still walking at the back of the group, perhaps after their break to eat and rest he would be easier to approach.
4:30 pm in the Eastern Mountains
Ginta and Hakkaku were sitting on a couple of rocks at the base of the mountain eating some fish that they had caught from the river. Both of them were on guard duty while day dreaming about being praised and given the honorary title of Kouga's second in command. It was peaceful and quiet at the mountains. No sightings of trespassers for a couple of weeks, and even the last trespasser wasn't too much trouble. Just some meandering humans walking around lost after making a wrong turn. They didn't have to do anything, as always since humans generally run from them at first sight. It's been years since they have sworn off eating humans. All thanks to Kagome and Kouga's first meeting.
Ayame would show up time and time again to profess her love to Kouga, only to be turned down because he had already devoted himself to Kagome. Although, it's been quite the waiting game for Kouga since Kagome hasn't accepted his proposal. Once Kagome realizes what a strong contender he is for her then she will leave Inuyasha for good and live out her days with the wolf tribe. The tribe needed someone with her talent and kindness to help lead the pack.
"Hey Ginta, look at that cloud! It looks like a fox running away from a wolf!" Hakkaku leaned back on the rock with his right hand supporting his body. He watched as Ginta squinted up at the orange tinted clouds, he searched for the clouds and when he noticed a wolf-like cloud he saw the picture clearly.
"Oh ya. Good eye, Hakkaku."
"You two are supposed to be on patrol, and here I find you two knuckleheads looking at the sunset." A familiar and commanding voice rang down from one of the cliffs on the mountain. Ginta and Hakkaku shot up to their feet and started pointing fingers at the other for causing the other to lose their sense of concentration.
Kouga was standing looking strong and superior. He no longer adorned his older style of pelts that he wore. The shoulder pelts were replaced with a light brown fur cape that covered his shoulders and hooked together with a piece of antler and a loop of fabric. A string of leather hung from his neck with five animal fangs spaced equally apart at the bottom over his chest. His grey armour remained covering his chest and torso, but he carried a satchel containing the catch of the day. His arm braces were fur lined with soft leather fabric wrapped around each forearm. Instead of a short brown fur wrap covering his lower regions, he had black ninja pants and a longer pelt that wrapped around his waist and ended above the knee. A thin leather belt supported his katana on his left hip. While his leg grieves matched the forearm braces, his feet remained wrapped with white cloth for protection as usual. What was most different about Kouga was his appearance as he no longer wore a head band. His striking azure eyes looked on fiercely to his most trusted comrades.
"What do you have to report?" Kouga asked, as he waited for both of them to respond. Ginta and Hakkaku looked again to one another as they straightened up and separated their feet in a proper stance.
"Nothing to report, Prince Kouga." Hakkaku replied immediately without wavering his eye contact with his alpha.
"Well that's if you don't count the fox and wolf clouds. It's gone now, but it looked pretty 'cool.'" Ginta tried his best to use the word Kagome had taught him from the last time they saw her. She had complimented Kouga after he had blocked an incoming attack that was directed at Kagome with his new weapon, Goraishi. Ever since she said that, Ginta tried to remember it in case he ever got in trouble. He knew how sidetracked his leader could get just with a trigger of his memory to anything Kagome related.
Before Kouga could chide Ginta for losing his concentration, he noticed the word that Kagome said to him the last time he saw her. It seemed that his thoughts were now more on the young priestess from the future than they were on his comrades. Ginta mentally sighed a breath of relief.
"It's been some time since I've seen my Kagome. How about you two get these to the cave, and get some grub. Tomorrow I am going to pay a visit to my woman." With that Kouga sped off past Ginta and Hakkaku to patrol his lands. His tribe could smell the meat being prepared for dinner, and he could see some of his guards circulate their patrols for dinner breaks. His home has been in this routine for two years in case Naraku decided to attack.
It took some time to repair the damage that Kagura caused to his kin. It was unspeakable to some, especially the widows of the deceased wolf demons who bravely lost their lives. They would always be remembered for their courage and sacrifice for their clan. Kouga would be the one to kill Kagura and Naraku if it's the last thing he does. His kinsmen need avenging, and he won't stop until they are avenged.
Kouga ran with his cyclone inducing speed, he sprang up hundreds of feet with a forceful thrust. He loved looking over the trees and rocky terrain in the direction of Kaede's village. It was growing dark in the East as the sun was setting over the West. A thin line of smoke could be seen rising over a group of distant trees. He could only assume some ningen were setting up camp far off. He wasn't concerned with ningen though, at least not the normal ones.
When he dropped back down to the ground he turned back to head over to the main cave where dinner was being served. Tomorrow he would see Kagome, and put up with the mutt trying to get in his way.
9 pm Inu Tachi Camp
Their camp had already been set up and the fire was spitting its energy onto the dirt covered ground. Everyone was bundled up and close together. November wasn't getting any warmer, and Kagome knew too well that this would be one of the last nights they would be sleeping outside. Inuyasha haphazardly draped his cloth of the fire-rat haori over Kagome's head to keep her warm. Kagome felt the weight of his clothing cover her protectively.
They had just finished the food that Kagome's mom had prepared in advance before Kagome left for the feudal era. Everyone was full and felt the lull of sleep takeover as they travelled as much as they could for the day.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." She watched as he retreated to his spot in a tree above her. Kagome looked over at Sango who watched her silently from her spot nestled in the transformed Kirara's fur. Miroku sat underneath Kirara's head, resting his back against her warm chest with Shippo curled in his arms. Sango gave Kagome a reassuring look as if to tell her to stop prolonging the issue.
Kagome took a deep breath, and climbed the tree that Inuyasha sat in. He wasn't on the highest branch, but he was high up enough to create distance between himself and the group. She grabbed what she thought was a sturdy knob on the bark, but it collapsed under the pressure of her grasp. She swung her hand up to neighbouring branch and hoisted herself up. Inuyasha was on the other side of the trunk, with his back against the bark. Kagome settled to sit on the opposite side as she began to break their silence.
"Inuyasha, I know you're not ok with going to the wolf demon tribe tomorrow. I just want to let you know I'm not going there to ogle Kouga, and that there shouldn't be a reason to fight. We are there for their help to build a village. This is for the safety of the villagers and that's it. I wouldn't have suggested it if we didn't need their help, but we do. Inuyasha, learning of the final battle isn't easy. It's almost surreal that it's soon approaching. I just need you to be with me on this. We need to succeed no matter what, and part of succeeding is saving innocent lives, as many as we can during and before the battle."
There was a moment of silence that Kagome wasn't sure if she should break again, but Inuyasha's voice cut through her thoughts and she listened for what he had to say.
"Fine." Inuyasha managed to flatly respond. Kagome was going to question if that's all that was bothering him, but he began to speak again.
"Don't think this resolves anything though, Kagome. Ever since I left you at your house, you've changed. You asked me to trust you and that you would tell me what was going on, except you haven't told me anything. You became all cryptic. Like I'm supposed to read in between the lines. It doesn't work that way, and I'm beginning to think that you're hiding something from me." Kagome's heart reached out to him. 'I so badly want you to know. I've wanted to tell you since the start, but I can't let you try and protect me in case it's you who dies. You can't die.'
"I'm sorry that you feel that way. You don't deserve my cryptic answers, and I will keep you well informed of the things you should know from here on out." Kagome quietly thought over what was said. "I did tell you what I discovered though, I didn't break a promise. Besides, aren't you a little excited to use Tetsusaiga on Naraku to finish him off? I don't want to go too much into detail in case we're overheard. It's not safe to speak of this anymore. Anyone could be listening."
"I want to see this book. Next time I am coming with you to your era. We're going to sit down and go over what it reveals." Inuyasha admonished his final thoughts and with that he remained quiet. Kagome's heart jumped in nervousness at the idea.
"Ok." She didn't have a choice in this matter. Kagome sighed in defeat. 'So much for speaking with conviction. Now I have to worry about him finding out what he shouldn't know.'
Kagome started making her way down the tree, and when she reached the bottom Sango looked at her to see if everything was ok, and Kagome just gave her a shake of the head to confirm their issue is not yet over. When Kagome turned to her spot near the fire.
Sango's face went pale and she mentally cursed Inuyasha for his stubbornness. She had just lost her wager to Miroku. Miroku chuckled softly, and Sango nudged Kirara in response. Kirara looked over at Sango and then down at Miroku who was slowly waking Shippo up. Kirara opened her mouth and drooled over his head.
"Eeyuck! Kirara!" Miroku scurried away from the neko demon with Shippo still in his arms.
"Hey monk! Pipe down will ya!" Inuyasha hollered from his spot in the trees. "You're waking the forest."
Sango had her head between her knees in defeat. She couldn't believe she lost to him. 'Damn you, Inuyasha!'
7 AM November 29, 2016
As morning rolled in, Inuyasha was the first to wake. The vegetation was stiff with frost, but the sun was peeking out of the clouds and filtering through the branches. His silver dog ears twitched in response to the chirping of the birds and the scratching sounds of a nearby squirrel digging its claws into the grains of a tree as it diligently climbs. Peering down he could see the slow rise of his teammates' chests as they continue sleeping through the early morning ruckus of the forest. Sometimes he envied them when they couldn't hear the sounds of the forest as clearly as he could...especially in the morning. When he was a child and living on his own, he had a hard time ignoring the sounds. It would keep him up at night with the constant noise. As he grew older he began to learn how to tune things out, but it wasn't always easy having to constantly watch his back and be on guard. He didn't have to worry so much with this group because Kirara would also be on her guard and could sense danger a bit faster than he could most times.
A part of him couldn't help but stay alert, because that's what he promised to do for Kagome. To protect her at all costs. Kikyo would sometimes be able to protect herself because she had advanced miko abilities, but Kagome was still learning to use her priestess powers. She still has a long ways to go before she can prove that she can defend herself without any help. He wasn't complaining however, he enjoyed being useful to her. At first when they met, it wasn't like that, but she grew on him and they've been good friends ever since.
Inuyasha remembered their conversation last night, and he was still perturbed by the way she acted earlier that day. It wasn't like her to keep secrets, unless it had to do with Kikyo. She was usually very open, and suddenly she closed herself off to him. He was serious when he wanted to see that book that foretold the future. Maybe she was hiding something about the jewel. Would she use it for herself and deprive him of the chance to be full demon? He just had to know. 'Kagome wouldn't do that to me...she knows how much I want that. How much I need it to be able to protect her and be accepted.'
His eyes were trained on her now. Looking at her as he pondered if she would betray him to use the jewel for something else. A girl that looks so innocent, and beautiful. Not that he would ever tell her his thoughts, but something did change about her these last two years. It wasn't just her new look, but her heart is somewhat different. His heart grew more attached towards her over the years. The first year she would 'Sit' him like there was no tomorrow, and this year she reserved it for when he was truly being an ass. It led him to believe something between them had changed, but he couldn't understand what exactly.
They've kissed a few times, but it never led to anything else. A cluster of embarrassing moments and shocked stares. He wasn't sure what to think of those moments. He's always been confused between Kikyo and Kagome, and it would lead her to believe that he wasn't interested in her. Even Miroku chastised him for taking advantage of her feelings when he should just tell her how he feels about her. That's always been the conundrum. He doesn't know how he feels towards her...especially romantically. He was never good with understanding his emotions.
Jumping down effortlessly from his spot, he stretched his arms back to rid the stiffness in his shoulders. Kara's ears picked up the movement and soft cracks of his joints. She starred at him and then looked around at the camp, and then to Sango curled up against her side. Inuyasha began to walk off into the bushes beyond the tree line of their camp. It was time for a quick run to patrol their surroundings. They weren't far off from the Eastern Mountains and he couldn't chance trusting Kouga and his pack of scrawny wolves to weed out the evil demons in his territory.
He began his run at a quick pace, jumping from tree branch to tree branch. Inuyasha let the serene morning background fade as he sped by trying to detect any immediate danger. His ears and nose moved unconsciously trying to pick up an ominous scent or sound. He couldn't travel too far away from his camp, just enough to figure out if the coast is clear. Time slipped by and when he felt like turning back around to return to the group, he heard a whistle nearby. Curiosity getting the better of him, he aimed his attention to the direction he had heard the sound. Making sure to jump with the stealth of a burglar, he broke through into a clearing. His leap from the last branch gave him some distance as he landed close to the middle. To his left, a female wolf demon no older than ten was sitting down next to a wolf cub. 'She must belong to Kouga's tribe, but what is a child doing so far away from their home at this hour?'
When she noticed his presence, she jumped back. "A demon! Quick, Ruku!" The child jumped onto her companion's back, but the wolf didn't respond to her commands and collapsed under the girl's weight. Ruku whined and squirmed from underneath its owner. Upon realizing that another presence was near, Ruku started barking at the intruder.
"Ruku, we need to go now! He looks dangerous!" The girl start tugging on the cub's tail to get it to budge but the wolf ignored her and started advancing towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha watched the cub run towards him, and he could tell that it wasn't a threat, but he couldn't let the thing attack him. When the cub got close enough, Inuyasha grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and held it level with his eyes. The cub looked surprised and ducked its head after a moment of struggling to break free of the hold. When Inuyasha glared at it, and growled in his Inu tongue, the cub looked up at him and started whining to go back to its master. The demon girl gasped and started shouting at him to spare her little Ruku.
"Relax kid, I'm not gonna hurt the runt." Inuyasha released the cub close enough to the ground for it to jump down. It ran away back to the demon girl with its tail between its legs.
"Ruku! Don't ever run off at another demon like that unless we're fighting it, got that?!" The demon girl scolded her companion shakily as she thought her Ruku was going to die after only being her owner for two weeks.
"You got a lot of work ahead of you to train that mutt of yours." Inuyasha countered, still remaining a good distance away from the younger girl. Said girl, realized he was no immediate threat to her, but kept her guard.
"Who do you think you are picking on my Ruku like that?" The girl pointed her small finger at Inuyasha accusingly. "You could have hurt him!"
"Keh. Whatever, I'm out of here." Inuyasha lunged back in the direction he arrived, but a scent caught his attention and halted his movements. He turned back towards the girl and noticed a large snake demon making its way rapidly to the girl and her cub.
Inuyasha shouted at her to watch out as the snake propelled itself at her in its attempt to attack. Inuyasha dove to grab the girl and the cub out of the snake demon's path. Inuyasha managed to pull them away from harm with a sliver of room between him and the snake demon. He set the girl and her cub down behind him and told them to stay back.
"Trying to feed on children and wolf cubs, you lowly demons never cease to amaze me. Although, why you would decided to harm a wolf demon and its pet would be considered a death wish in this territory." Inuyasha folded his arms and looked down at the lowly demon
The snake demon cackled haughtily at the inu hanyou's jabs. "What's it to you half demon? You want them for yourself? You were merely playing with my food when I caught wind of thissss delicioussss sssnack."
"Guess you leave me no choice but to kill you." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles as his claws flexed at the opportunity to slay the evil demon.
"Why you!" The snake hissed in anger at the challenge. "After I kill you, there will be nothing in my way from eating that child and her mongrel pup." Lunging forward at an angle, the snake flew at Inuyasha with its jaw opened wide and fangs dripping of black venom.
The girl and cub watched in fear as the snake tried to attack their new-found protector. Little did they know the fight would be over very quickly as Inuyasha stood his ground and twisted his torso in preparation for his Iron Reaver attack. His claws connected with the snake's head and split the assailant in two from head to tail."Ruku! Don't ever run off at another demon like that unless we're fighting it, got that?!" The demon girl scolded her companion shakily as she thought her Ruku was going to die after only being her owner for two weeks.
"That was incredible! How did you do that?" The girl stepped out from behind Inuyasha and starred at him with respect. "You barely moved from your spot and were able to kill it in one swipe!"
"Keh. That was nothing." Inuyasha pointed a thumb nonchalantly at the remains of the snake demon. "Why are you out here all alone, kid?"
"I.." The little girl looked down and seemed to be more interested in the way she pushed dirt around with her toes. Her mother always told her not to talk to strangers or anyone that wasn't from their tribe.
"Look I don't care for the reason. You shouldn't be out here alone with a dog that can't protect you. Are you from Kouga's tribe? If you're lost you can come with my group and we'll take you back."
"I'm not lost..." The young girl was having a hard time finding the words, and even though he saved her life and Ruku's she wasn't sure if she could trust him.
"What? Your parents just let you roam out this far away from the mountains?" She looked away to the side and bit her lip as Inuyasha impatiently prodded her with questions.
"No.."
"Well then spit it out already, I haven't got all day." The little girl clutched her furs and started tearing up.
"I ran away!" Her truth spilled out and the tears flooded her cheeks. Her face was red from the confession and the emotions that stirred behind her violet eyes.
Inuyasha's gaze softened at her confession. "Well, you're not going to survive on your own and you should go back to your home before someone realizes you're gone."
"No one will notice I'm gone. All they do is pay attention to my baby brother and get mad at me for causing trouble." She dropped to her knees and patted the side of Ruku, who was licking her tears away. Inuyasha turned his back to the little girl.
"What is the happiest memory you have with your parents?" Inuyasha waited for her to answer between her sobs.
"What are you-?" She wondered what that would have to do with anything, but Inuyasha opened his mouth again and this time turning to face her.
"Just answer the question will ya!" Her head bowed down trying to avoid his eye contact, and she began to think about the happiest memory.
Inuyasha closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he was here, playing therapist. He really needed to get back to his pack so they could start out. Actually, he wasn't in a rush to get to Kouga's, so this little detour was probably his way of procrastinating as much as possible.
"My papa, he asked me to join him in taking a walk to the river to help him get some water for my Mama while she was pregnant with my brother. He told me that as a big sister, I had a big responsibility to the family and to my new little brother or sister. We turned a corner away from the mountain and there was a large patch of wild violets that had just bloomed, and he picked one up and put one in my hair. He said that no matter what I was his special little girl, and...that he loved me."
"Keh. Someone will notice you're gone." Inuyasha sat down cross-legged in front of the wolf girl. "Look, anyone that says that to their kid isn't saying that for nothing. Your parents love you, and if you're getting into mischief to get attention maybe you should actually talk to them. Take your father back to that spot and talk to him alone."
"I have to go back, but they'll probably hate me even more for leaving in the first place. No, I can't go back. They'll be very angry with me."
"Sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do, but the wrong thing to do is run away from your fears and to give in to your own cowardly feelings."
"Hey, I'm no coward!" The girl stood up wiping her tears away.
"Then prove it. Show me you'll go back and face your parents." Inuyasha followed the girl's actions in getting up. "I don't think Kouga would like to know that one of his tribe members ran away in the face of conflict. That's not the way of the wolf demons, and better make sure you get there before he finds out."
The girls face dropped with shame. The strange demon with the doggy ears was right. Kouga wouldn't appreciate this act of cowardice.
"Fine, but I'm not doing it for you, you got that poofy pants?" She turned her back to him and started walking back in the direction of her tribe. The wolf cub stretched from his resting spot and trotted after the violet-eyed girl.
"You coming, poofy pants? I thought you wanted me to prove it to you!" The girl was now walking away with such petulance that Inuyasha didn't know how to react. Did she just call him 'poofy pants'...twice? What is with this wolf pack and their tendency to call people names, primarily him.
"Stop calling me that, that's not my name you little wolf turd." Before the girl crossed the clearing to the tree line she looked at Inuyasha and wondered out loud.
"What is your name?" She put a hand to her hip and waited for his response now.
"Feh. It's Inuyasha." After spouting his name to the girl, he crossed his arms and walked in her direction. They began walking side by side until Inuyasha spoke up again. "Well?! Aren't you going to tell me yours, turd?"
"Oh! Sorry, my name is Reena." She gave a toothy smile with a little mini fang popping out of the corner of her mouth. They resumed their walk, and now that he was getting a proper look at Reena. She was short, but a bit taller than Shippo and had short brown hair pulled into two small pigtails at her shoulders. She wore wolf tribe clothing, with a brown fur jacket, knee-length skirt and light brown animal skin moccasins.
"I prefer calling you, poofy pants." Reena giggled, and if she had looked up at Inuyasha's face when she had said that maybe she would have taken it back. Inuyasha was massaging his temples now. How did he get himself into this mess? Now he had to leave his group to babysit this kid and take her back to her home...which unfortunately was Kouga's tribe.
"Please stop talking."
Inu Taichi Group 9 AM
Everyone was awake, and alert. Inuyasha was no where to be found, and they had to leave soon to get to the Eastern Mountains. Kagome's thoughts were spiralling out of control thinking that their conversation last night had drove him to leave without them.
"Don't worry, Kagome. We'll find him. He couldn't have left too long ago. Kirara and I will fly out to see if we can spot him. I'll met you guys back here." Sango grabbed her Hiraikotsu and jumped onto the transformed Kirara. They lunged up into the air and over the tree tops. Miroku stayed behind with Kagome and Shippo to cover the ground.
"What an idiot leaving us all behind like that," Shippo huffed in annoyance while crossing his small arms.
"Sango's right. We'll find him." Miroku put a hand on Kagome's shoulder in comfort. Kagome nodded, but couldn't help but feel like there was another reason to his leaving. He couldn't have left to see Kikyo...could he? Was she somewhere in this area? Kagome opened her bag and put Inuyasha's folded hoari on top of the other items inside. Swinging the bag onto her back, she started out from their camp with Miroku and Shippo.
"Hey, Miroku! I couldn't help but notice, um..what's that grey dried gunk doing in your hair?"
Miroku touched his head in response, and growled in aggravation. "I'm never sleeping underneath Kirara's head again."
"That's Kirara's drool? Ewww.." Kagome couldn't contain her smile at the scene. That cat always looked pristine and well groomed. To think she drooled, and on someone else at that, it was too much. Her smile broke into a giggle at Miroku's expense.
"Ha ha ha, it's all funny when it happens to someone else isn't it!" Miroku sighed, and tried to work through the dried saliva coating his hair.
"I'm sorry, it's just so funny." Kagome watched as he was getting so worked up with the dried saliva he even had to take his small ponytail out.
"Here...have some water. It'll loosen the gunk." Kagome offered him her water bottle through her giggle fits.
After a wet head of hair and a tenth of water left in the bottle, Miroku finally got the offensive stuff all out.
"Ok, now we need to be serious and find Inuyasha." Kagome grabbed the water from Miroku and put it back in her bag. "Do you think he went back to Kaede's village?"
"I doubt that. For sometime now, Inuyasha goes on morning patrols to check if the coast is clear before we head out." Miroku disclosed nonchalantly.
"He does that? Really?" Kagome put a finger to her chin. "I guess I've always woken up a bit later to find him back in the tree. I never knew he did that..."
"Mhm. Well, I don't blame him. He probably doesn't need much rest, and having to wait on us is too boring. He's not the patient type." Miroku switched his staff to his other side while he flexed his hand with the kazaana.
"I guess that's true too." Kagome still couldn't shake the idea that he went off to see Kikyo. "Maybe we should go in the direction of the Eastern Mountains. Perhaps he'll meet us there when he's ready..."
"That'd probably be best, we could just be running in circles to find him and not be getting any closer. How about we look around the perimeters of the camp in case he decides to come back from his patrol. If he doesn't we'll head back to the camp to meet up with Sango." Miroku watched Kagome's face as she processed the request.
She nodded her head, and they began to walk out into the forest surrounding their camp.
After a half hour of searching, they didn't see any sign of the half demon. Shippo could feel Kagome getting more anxious by the minute that passed by and he only hoped that Inuyasha would show up so that Kagome wouldn't be so worried.
Kirara and Sango ran into the camp breathless. "We found him!"
Everyone else whipped their heads in their direction at the good news. "Well where is he? Is he ok?" Kagome ran up to the demon slayer and neko demon.
"He's fine, but he's attracted a new companion..." Sango looked just as perplexed as everyone as she said this. Kagome's thoughts instantly went to Kikyo. It had to be. She was in the final battle. Could this mean that she was joining their group early on? Did Inuyasha reveal the final battle to her?
"Who is he travelling with and where did you find him?" Miroku asked curiously, also concealing suspicions of the new companion being Kikyo.
"He's walking with a female wolf demon child and wolf cub towards the Eastern Mountains." Sango noticed the worry defuse from everyone's faces. Kagome smiled softly, relieved that he was ok...and not with Kikyo. It was only sometime before they reunited with the dead priestess...and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted her to be involved in the final battle. She hoped she would be able to figure things out before that day arrived.
"I guess we can just start heading towards the mountains then. Inuyasha will get there before we do, so prepare to peel two fighting dogs apart when we do get there." Miroku surmised what everyone else was thinking. Now that they knew where their companion was, they could hurry up and get a move on to their destination.
"I wonder what happened earlier while Inuyasha was on patrol...how did he come across that young wolf demon?" Shippo asked openly.
Sango looked over at the little kitsune. "That reminds me. We passed by a clearing on our search, and I saw the remains of what looked to be a snake demon. Maybe, there was a fight and he met her at that moment."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough when we catch up to him." Kagome replied, eager to find out the answers to everyone's questions.
Noon
They had been walking for two and a half hours and they finally reached the valley of mountains where the wolf demon territory began. Inuyasha and Reena noticed the wolf demons stationed on different peaks of the mountains and cliffs.
"There I brought you back. Now I need to go back and meet up with my pack." Inuyasha turned on his heel, but was stopped when he felt a slight tugging on his hakamas. Reena looked up at Inuyasha with hopeful eyes.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." Inuyasha was surprised when he heard her gratitude and that she said his name and not poofy pants.
"Don't mention it...now go before Kouga finds you left." Inuyasha pulled her hand away from his hakamas and pushed her gently towards the valley.
Reena looked back at the hanyou before continuing into the valley. She will always remember the help she received from him today. Although he was a little rough around the edges, he had a good heart. "Come on, Ruku! We gotta get back and fast!"
Inuyasha was a ways off as he shook his head. Reena and Ruku were running through the valley with some of the guardsmen scratching their heads about the odd little girl and her companion. He was glad he didn't have to venture too far into that territory just yet. He had left his group with no notice of him having to leave to solve the problems of a little kid. He could only imagine he was in for a good 'sitting' from Kagome.
...
They had walked quite a bit from the clearing. It would take him another hour to rush back to the camp. Before he could think about it, the scents of his friends drifted through his nostrils and caught his attention. They had started out without him. He didn't blame them. When they saw each other in their lines of sight, Shippo was the first to react.
"Inuyasha!" Shippo shouted in greeting. "We thought we'd never catch up."
"So where did you go?" Miroku asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it nonetheless.
"Keh. I was just patrolling when I cam across a young girl and her wolf companion defending themselves against a snake demon. I killed it, she said she was lost, I escorted her back home. End of story."
"How very noble of you, Inuyasha. Taking care of those who are too weak to defend themselves. However, a little warning or notice would be appreciated next time you go off without telling us where you've gone."
"Grr..I'm not some disobedient pup, monk!" Inuyasha raised his fist and shook it with contempt.
"No, he's right!" Kagome spoke up. "As much as I admire you went out to help someone else, you could have told us and we wouldn't have lost so much time in the beginning."
"You've got to be kidding me! You guys are ridiculous. I came back to find you didn't I?" Inuyasha shook his head and looked to the sky. "You know what, never mind. Let's just go and get this over and done with before we waste more time." He turned his back on everyone and walked in the direction he just came from when he dropped off Reena.
Kagome sighed and ran a hand through her side bangs. He was just impossible to work with sometimes. He didn't want to accept responsibility for the decisions and actions he made. They all had to work as a team, and this was something that they had to fix before the final battle. Everyone had to be on the same page. There wouldn't be room for error. It was at the moment Kagome could feel her stomach grumbled. They had all skipped breakfast to search for Inuyasha. Sango was standing next to Kagome when she heard the girl's stomach ache for sustenance.
"Let's stop for a bit. We all need to eat." Sango looked to Miroku and then to Inuyasha to stop. Miroku nodded his head in agreement, and even Inuyasha stopped to acknowledge that eating before they entered the wolf territory was a good idea.
"I'll go grab some wood, Kagome. Shippo can you help gather some leaves?" Sango smiled at the kit as he sprung to action gathering all the crunchy leaves he could find on the dirt path.
Kagome swung her bag off her back and onto the ground where she could rummage through for food. When she opened the zipper, she noticed the Inuyasha's red hoari inside. Pulling it out, she held it out for Inuyasha to take. "Thank you for letting me use it last night." Inuyasha nodded, and accepted his shirt back. He slipped it on over his white under shirt and tucked it in properly.
Kagome grabbed her small saucepan and pot and took out some food she had packed. It was instant rice, and some left-over chicken from the night before. This would have to tie everyone over until they got to Kouga's.
Kagome spread out a grey cooking platform for the pot and saucepan to sit on while the water boiled and chicken was cooking. She poured water from an extra water bottle she had into the pot while she waited for Sango to return with the wood and twigs.
Sango returned with the wood and twigs and plopped them down gently next to the platform Kagome set up for the food.
While Sango was busy rearranging the wood so that it would fit under the platform, Shippo made a ball from dried grass and leaves to put in the middle where the fire would start. Kagome took some of her notebook paper and crumpled it to put in-between the spaces near the thicker pieces of wood. Taking her lighter out, Kagome set the paper and kindling ablaze. After she was sure the fire wouldn't dissipate, Kagome took out cooking spray and sprayed it onto the saucepan. After she placed the pot and saucepan on the hot platform to heat, Kagome spread around the chicken in the saucepan to cook.
"Sometimes it astounds me how fast you can make a meal, Kagome-chan." Miroku smiled as he could smell the chicken heating. The pot of water was now simmering and Kagome dumped the rice in to cook.
"It'll be done soon." Kagome confirmed as everyone was itching to eat. Kagome grabbed some plastic bowls from her bag and placed them at her side. The chicken was fully heated and was removed from the makeshift stove. After the water was discarded and the rice was properly steamed, Kagome combined the chicken with the rice to serve in the bowls.
"Oh I almost forgot the chopsticks, teriyaki and hot sauce." Kagome whipped the fast-food packets of sauce out from the side pockets of her bag.
"All done!" She announced happily. Kagome took the now empty pot and pan and used it like tongs to flip the platform over to cool down in the dirt.
There were six bowls filled with the food and each bowl had a packet of chopsticks, teriyaki and hot sauce. The meal was eaten in haste to curb the hunger they felt. When everyone was finished Kagome collected the dishes and dumped them in a plastic bag to wash later.
"That hit the spot." Shippo was on his back smiling in content as he put his hands behind his head. "I could take a nap right now..."
"Thanks, Kagome!" Sango hugged Kagome and replied in thanks. Even Inuyasha thanked Kagome for the wonderful meal.
'Too bad there isn't a river nearby to dunk these dishes in so they can cool off quicker...' Kagome waited patiently for the items to cool off, while everyone gave their digestive systems time to process the food before they got up to resume their journey.
...
Kagome added the cooled off items into the plastic bag and folded the cooking rack into its unassembled state. She couldn't very well put them in her bag without her clothes smelling of rice and chicken. She would just have to carry the bag until she found a river where she could properly clean the dishes.
"Here Kagome, you're already carrying enough. Why don't I hold onto that bag until we find a river?" Miroku kindly offered to carry some of the weight.
"Oh, that would be great. Thanks, Miroku!" Kagome felt the immediate relief of the weight from her hand as Miroku took the bag from her.
They were all set to start out again, and it would be the last time they would stop before they got to their destination...unless they of course found a river to clean up the burdensome dishes.
Inuyasha took the lead of the group with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Kagome following close by. They continued in this formation until they heard the rustling of water in the distance. "I believe we can take care of these dishes now." Miroku raised the said bag of dishes to add to his comment.
"I believe you're right." Kagome replied. She moved to grab the bag from Miroku, but Miroku held it away from her. Sango put a reassuring hand on Kagome's shoulder. "We'll wash and dry dishes, Kagome."
"Oh ok, thank you. Let me grab the soap, rag, and towel for you guys." After handing them the supplies, Kagome grabbed Shippo and Kirara from Sango's arms. The two of them were napping from the lunch they had. Shippo held a curled up Kirara as he slept, and it was the cutest thing Kagome saw Shippo do on their journey to the Eastern Mountains.
"We won't be long." Sango added, before they left through the trees to the river.
"Thanks again, you two!" Kagome shouted slightly, hoping they heard her. "That was nice of them. Don't you think, Inuyasha?"
"Yeah it was," Inuyasha looked on at the spot Sango and Miroku had exited. "We're about half an hour away from the flea-bitten wolf pack."
"Ok..." Kagome could feel the tension still between them. It wasn't likely that it would be gone anytime soon, but she had to try and at least ease the weight of their problems. "Remember what I said to you last night about us only being there for one reason? Once we reach an agreement we can leave and work on finding the remaining jewel shards."
"Feh, would you get off my case? I already know this." Inuyasha didn't look her in the eye, and instead focused on a leaf dancing with a wind on the ground in front of him.
"What's your problem?" Kagome was tired of his attitude, and didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. "You told me that you didn't like how I was being cryptic, and now that I'm trying to be more open with you, you shut me out."
"My problem is with you making decisions that concern my home without my approval. You made the decision to get Kouga's tribe to help build another village in my territory. That's what's wrong. You didn't ask me, and when I tried to protest it you said the magic word to shut me up alright. I've lived there for longer than you've been breathing, and now I have to put up with that ass of a wolf for the next month or so. On top of that, I have to keep him away from you." He was seething from the overwhelming emotions rising in him.
Shippo and Kirara had stirred awake from the raised voices bickering back and forth.
"I'm sorry, but someone has to look out for the villagers. We can't risk losing more lives because of Naraku. I understand I overstepped, and I'm sorry ok? There I said it. As for protecting me from Kouga, he's a friend and I didn't ask you to protect me from him. That's on you, and why you are jealous of him and I being friends I have no idea!"
Inuyasha was upset beyond words at her comment. "You think I don't care about them? It's been my duty to take care of and protect the village since before I met you. Now all of a sudden you think Kouga needs to take over. That's bull shit."
"No! You know what's bull shit, Inuyasha? Your dam pride. You can't swallow your pride and let someone help us. You want to do everything by yourself. Well let me ask you this. How are we going to build a village and look for the jewel shards at the same time? I don't know anyone in our group who has the ability to be in two places at once. I wasn't trying to cross a line. I was being practical, not selfish. We need demon allies who have strength in numbers to get the job done faster. Kouga is the logical person to ask. If you can't get over your hurt pride then you really aren't doing your duty to look out for the villagers." Kagome took a deep breath in to calm herself. "I'm going to get Sango and Miroku. The faster you come to accept this, the easier the next few months will be."
Inuyasha growled, and glared at her retreating form as she too disappeared in the forest to fetch Sango and Miroku. For the last two years their fights were never this long or intense, but it seemed up until her recent discovery she's been more stubborn and on edge. In demon behaviour, her attitude is everything but submissive and is challenging him as alpha. She being young and human, didn't understand this code and it was nerve wracking for him to deal with it. His demonic side was telling him to bite the side of her neck until she submitted to him, but his human side was just frustrated with the girl in general. If he wasn't serious about looking at that book she kept at home, he sure is serious about it now.
...
Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku were walking back after cleaning up their dishes from earlier. Miroku was gleaming about having won the bet and getting to hear Sango express how great he was at any moment of the day.
"You haven't won yet, they didn't officially make up." Sango could see what he was thinking in that head of his and she'd be damned if she was going to lose this to him today.
"Oh, but it's the closest bet that wins. See that automatically means that I've won." Miroku was too proud now to accept anything else but what he already knew.
"You're delusional if you think I'm calling you the best at any given moment of the day." Sango walked off in a huff past the celebrating monk.
"So after all this time of teasing me for my exorcisms in securing us a place to rest..you finally admit defeat before you've even tried. I will remember that for a long time dear, Sango." Miroku laughed at Sango's expense. She was interesting to look at when she was mad. It was the sole reason he groped her butt so much. Well...and to feel it of course.
"Stop your gloating! You haven't won yet!" Sango snapped. Just as she finished saying that, Kagome bursted through some bushes and looked quite perturbed. Shippo and Kirara were wide-eyed from the conflict that happened between Inuyasha and Kagome, and as soon as Kirara saw Sango she leaped on to her shoulder.
"Good, I found you guys. God! That Inuyasha, just doesn't understand common sense." Kagome didn't see the look of disbelief on Miroku's face as she continued ranting about Inuyasha's lack of compassion for anyone but himself.
"What's wrong with Miroku?" Kagome whispered over to Sango as she glanced over at the sullen monk. "He looks kind of dejected..."
"Oh, he just realized he forgot his favourite sutras at Kaede's." Sango quickly answered on behalf of Miroku. He had his head in his hands at the unfortunate loss of the bet. "Don't worry, he'll snap out of it."
"Ohh..k. Are you sure? He's sulking on a tree now." Kagome pointed at the monk now doing exactly what she mentioned. Sango looked back and giggled nervously. Flipping Kagome in the direction she arrived, they walked away from the monk to give him some space.
"Oh, I'll be right back. Miroku has the bag of clean dishes." Sango jogged back towards Miroku and noticed the bag was at his feet.
Sango picked up the bag, and shook her head at how much he really wanted to win the bet. "You know, you can be a real sucker sometimes."
Miroku looked at her as she was about to leave. "A sucker eh?"
"Yeah, you're making a big deal out of this and making me feel bad for you losing." Sango replied, "We both didn't win the bet so there's no reason to weep over it." Miroku nodded his head, still put out about the whole wager being void.
"It was kind of fun though...but next time we're not betting on them fighting! It's not right." Sango finished, and turned away to go back to Kagome.
"Next time?" Miroku perked up at the sound of a second chance for his wager. 'She enjoyed our game?' Miroku got up from his slouching pose against the tree and jogged to catch up to the demon slayer he admired so much. "Next time it is."
Eastern Mountains
"Prince Kouga!" A wolf demon guard ran to the commanding prince with haste.
"Kato, aren't you supposed to be patrolling the outskirts of the forest?" Kouga pointed out. Kato nodded quickly, but continued to press the news he had to tell his boss.
"It's her. Your woman. She and her pack are just outside of the valley." It didn't take long for Kouga to burst into action, running full speed out of the cave and down the mountain path towards the valley. His Kagome had come to him, this was definitely a wonderful surprise. How he longed to hold her in his arms and to whisk her away from Inu-Trasha. She belonged with him, and he was adamant to make her his one day.
He heard the faint whistles and howls in the distance as his pack teased him in his haste. 'Kagome..'
His tornado tore up the ground with each push of his legs lunging him further and further down the valley. He could now pick up her scent off the wind. She smelled like heaven to him.
One more turn around the bend, and he could sense her presence. He could tell she was with her pack, just as his guard had mentioned. He sensed Inuyasha already getting ready for his arrival. The spike in the hanyou's aura was enough to say he was warding him off. Kouga however, and like always, ignored the half demon's wishes.
He made it past the bend, and his eyes searched for her. He scanned through everyone, and when his eyes landed on her, he was breathless. Her entire appearance had changed, and it made his heart falter. Her hair was shorter and groomed differently. Her attire was covering every inch of her, and he made a note in his head to compliment the fur clothing she was wearing. She didn't stand beside the half demon, and he noticed that little change. As soon as he finished that thought, he was right in front of her.
Her breath hitched in the back of her throat at his sudden appearance. He guessed it was a little too quick for her eyes to follow his movements. He loved surprising her like that, and enjoyed the fast pace of her pulse. Everyone was looking at him anticipating the devotion of words roll out of his mouth, smothering the girl he loved with over-affectionate tones.
Kagome was blushing at the intimacy as he embraced her. Inuyasha was hacked off at this sight. He cut in the moment and called Kouga out for touching Kagome as if he was with her.
"Oh you tagged along with Kagome like a good pup, eh mutt face?" Kouga taunted at Inuyasha for rudely interrupting his moment with Kagome.
"Like hell I was going to let her come see you unprotected." Inuyasha spit back, but realized what he had said when the wolf beamed at this piece of information.
"You wanted to see me, Kagome?" Kouga held her hands and looked down at her face to see if Inuyasha spoke the truth. "You've finally realized that you need a real man to protect you." Inuyasha was steaming mad now, he clenched his fist and made his advance to punch the wolf's lights out. Kagome gave Inuyasha a warning look, before she carefully chose her words to respond.
"Aha. Well, I only came here to visit and we," Kagome looked to Sango and Miroku. "Need to discuss something with you in regards to Naraku."
"Naraku? Straight to business huh? I like that about you, Kagome." Kouga let go of Kagome's hands to put a hand to his chin and another on his hip in thought. "Ok, well what did you want to tell me?"
Sango, Miroku, and Kagome looked at one another before Miroku piped up, "It's something that shouldn't be discussed in the open here..."
Kouga regarded the monks words. "Well, I guess we should get going to the caves to discuss this privately. I should mention though, it's pretty hectic right now. There's going to be a ceremony tonight to celebrate two of our pack members getting hitched. My pack is running around getting things prepared."
"Oh, we could wait another day-" Sango began before being cut off by an irate Inuyasha.
"Like hell we are! We're finishing this now and leaving." Inuyasha protested. Kouga narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha's comment.
"HAHA is the little Inu Trasha too scared to party with the wolves?"
"You wish, you flea-bitten wolf! I'm just trying to avoid reeking of you and your tribe. It'll take days to get rid of your rotten stench." Inuyasha countered, and Kouga was angered by this.
"I could say the same about you, dog breath!" Kouga and Inuyasha were head to head growling at each other in disgust.
Kagome approached the two to diffuse the rivalry and verbal attacks. She wedged herself between them and pushed them apart from each other. "I didn't come here to watch you two bite each other's heads off. Now if you don't mind, we have a meeting and we're wasting time before this ceremony starts." The two canine demons stopped their verbal assaults on one another and resorted to listening to the human girl.
Shippo watched on in excitement. He couldn't wait to start on his new drawing of this little episode. He just hoped Kagome brought enough paper. 'This is going to be so good!'
Miroku and Sango were playing rock paper scissors to pass the time while the other three worked out their troubles.
Kouga broke his glaring contest with Inuyasha to look down at the ever beautiful Kagome he dreamed of so often. "Alright we'll all meet back at the cave. You guys remember where that is, right?" After receiving the nods of everyone's heads, Kouga smirked and dashed for Kagome to mess with Inuyasha's head. Kouga picked Kagome up bridal style and ran off to his cave.
"You come back here with, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted with his fist raised in the air. Kagome gasped in surprise. One minute she had her feet planted on the ground and in seconds she was lifted up by two strong, tanned arms and taken away. Although this reminded her of the first encounter with Kouga when he kidnapped her, it was slightly different. This time she wasn't screaming her head off while being hauled away over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Also, he wasn't vertically climbing the steep wall of a mountain, which does make a huge difference in the enjoyment of being carried off against your will. The wind in the valley whisked her bangs out of her face and she had to squint her eyes from the offending wind as she was trying to see.
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and her groups fading forms as Kouga sped away with the smirk still plastered on his face. She couldn't very well do anything about it unless she wanted to fall to her death down a cliff.
"Sorry Kagome, I couldn't let the mutt have you all to himself for much longer. I've missed you a lot." Kouga's apology surprised Kagome. She wasn't sure how to respond to his confession either.
"Ya, it's been awhile since we've last seen each other. How are things here with the tribe since I last spoke to you?" She felt like she had to yell in order to hear herself talk, but with his demon hearing he could easily pick up every word she said.
"It has, and everyone is doing well. There are a lot of female wolf demons in the pack that are expecting pups, which I'm glad to see my tribe is growing. We're keeping the territory under close surveillance in case that scumbag, Naraku decides to show his face here." Kouga growled at the thought of Naraku making a surprise visit in his mountains. He wasn't going to let anything slip past his attention.
"The same thing goes for us. I mean, we don't have as many people as you do, but we try to make sure we protect the village and forest as much as we can." Kagome admitted. "Say, how long did it take you to build your home?"
