Chapter 7: Pidgins from Hell
The following morning, Saya was awakened once again by Hiyori's incessant prodding. Begrudgingly, Saya followed the other miko after depositing Yue beside Kirara once again. Her training now took her into the woods to the side of the group's campsite. Saya managed to keep one eye open enough to follow the cheerful miko to the site of her training. Obviously, Hiyori was a morning person. Saya tended to despise morning people. Her friend, Hikari (from her time), was a morning person and had found great amusement in tormenting Saya with questions and interacting with her before she became coherent enough to effectively join society before they had graduated.
"We shall continue your training here." Saya was brought back to reality by Hiyori speaking. Glancing around, Saya noticed they were in a small clearing within the woods.
"What are we going to do here? Another round of dodging fatal objects?" Saya certainly hoped not. She still sore from yesterday's training.
"No, we are going to take a hike through these woods."
"I feel like there's a catch."
Hiyori smiled. "There will be small obstacles for you to conquer along the way, but nothing too arduous this time around."
Saya gazed at the silver robed miko with suspicion. Something was bound to happen—something always goes differently than what is said in these types of situations!—but Saya followed Hiyori into the woods without further comment. Saya continued to pick her way through the trees after Hiyori. Along the way, the only types of obstacles she encountered were the random fallen trees laying across the path, uneven ground that caused the girl to trip if she didn't pay enough attention to where she was walking, and the annoying fact that Hiyori showed no signs of stopping even when the sky began to lighten through the small gaps between leaves. The miko in training was beginning to slow in speed and was in desperate need of water.
Hiyori turned around when she noticed Saya falling behind. "You must hurry, or we shall not return to camp before everyone is ready to depart."
Saya glared at the woman as she gasped for breath. "Whose fault is that? We could have been back a while ago if you hadn't decided to take such a long venture through these godforsaken woods!"
"No need to be testy. I am still training you, remember? Endurance, reflexes, and strength are what you need to improve before the real training begins."
"This isn't the real training?!"
Hiyori chuckled. "Of course not. The real training shall be much more arduous, but more mentally than physically taxing as these training sessions are."
"Oh joy. I can hardly wait…" Hiyori chuckled again at the amount of sarcasm within Saya's voice.
The duo continued hiking until Saya heard rustling of the underbrush. The sounds were growing louder and seemed to be closing in swiftly. Saya stopped and was about to say something to Hiyori until she noticed the other miko stop as well; however, instead of looking tense or anticipating an attack as Saya expected, the female smiled softly.
"I was wondering when he would decide to join me."
Who would be joining her? Saya was about to voice her question, but the answer was received before she could do so. A silver-white wolf bounded into the area. The size indicated it was the runt of its litter. It passed Saya and came to a stop directly before Hiyori. It dropped a small, cloth bundle at her feet.
"Thank you, Hiro. I had forgotten that." She tied the bundle of cloth around her shoulders. Turning from the wolf, she addressed Saya. "This is my traveling companion, Hiro. Hiro, this is Saya. I would like for you to protect her and her kitsune pup, Yue, whom you will be meeting when we rejoin the others of our traveling party." Surprising Saya, the wolf ran over to her and jumped up to place his front paws upon her shoulders. He then proceeded to cover her entire face with animal saliva. Saya collapsed onto the ground in a fit of giggles, Hiro still licking her the entire time.
"That is enough, Hiro," Hiyori called in amusement. "We must return to camp now. Inuyasha must be getting anxious to resume our travels." Hiro retreated several steps to allow Saya to stand. Once she regained her footing and began walking, he followed quietly behind her. Occasionally, when Saya would fall behind, Hiro would nudge her on the back of the knee to hurry her along after Hiyori.
"I'm going," Saya muttered in slight agitation on one such occasion. Hiro nudged her legs again.
When the mikos and wolf arrived back at the campsite, Inuyasha was the first to notice their reappearance and the newest addition to the group.
"What took ya so long? And what the hell is that wolf doing here?"
"We were training for a little longer than usual this morning, and this is my traveling companion, Hiro. Hiro these are Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and resting upon Sango's shoulder and in her arms are Kirara and Yue respectively." Hiro approached Sango with greater caution than he had Saya. Sitting down calmly before the demon hunter, he nudged her hand. Sango smiled pleasantly before petting him upon the head. After giving the canine affection, Sango returned Yue to Saya. Saya's gaze was unintentionally drawn to Inuyasha once Yue found her comfortable spot resting upon her shoulders. The hanyou's eyes were narrowed at Hiro. Saya could only guess as to the thoughts rushing around his head, but if she were, her best guess would have been something along the lines of "great, not another wolf to deal with." The thought brought a small smile to her face before she realized something. Someone of their group was missing: The other wolf.
"Where is Haru? He's normally here by now."
"The hell should I know? I ain't his keeper!"
"Obviously, I was not asking you, Inuyasha. Has anyone seen him since yesterday?" Everyone gave a unanimous "no." Saya worried her lower lip. She hoped he was all right.
"We can't waste any more time waitin' on anyone else. Let's get going." Saya was about to protest when Inuyasha continued speaking, "I'm sure the annoying wolf will catch up to us later. Let's go."
Saya frowned but said nothing as she gathered her belongings and followed the group as they departed for the day. Saya was confused as to why Inuyasha had said what he had about Haru. She was grateful he had, but was still confused as to why. Maybe he didn't wish for her to feel upset? The thought sent butterflies dancing around her stomach even as she denied the possibility.
"Saya-chan, are you all right? You appear flushed. Was your training this morning strenuous?" Saya snapped out of her thoughts to focus on Sango, who gazed at the girl with concern.
"Huh? Oh, no. I'm fine. A little tired, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. Why do you ask?"
"You seemed a little out of it, and your face was flushed. Everything okay?"
Saya's face took on another shade of pink. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"If you are certain," Sango replied with concern.
Saya grinned. "I'm fine. I promise." After a moment's pause, Saya was reminded of something. "Oh, by the way, thanks for taking care of Yue for me while I've been training. I didn't want her getting hurt or something, so I'm thankful that you and Kirara looked after her for me."
Sango smiled. "It was my pleasure. She is such a calm little pup. It was no trouble looking after her." Saya grinned in thanks again.
The remainder of the travel was relatively quiet with the exception of Saya and Sango occasionally conversing. When the group stopped for lunch, the members went about setting up camp. While Saya awaited the water and firewood to start the ramen, Saya wondered once again where Haru was. Perhaps something had happened with his clan? Or he had gotten tired of hanging around the group and decided to leave? Saya shook her head at the idea. Haru received far too much amusement annoying the hell out of Inuyasha and herself to leave without a good reason. It must have been his clan. But what could have happened to them, she wondered. When the ramen was ready, she distributed the containers around the group before digging into hers.
Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard the sounds of the whirlwind that signified the annoying wolf's return. Great. At least Saya wouldn't be distracted now and could actually focus on locating more jewel fragments properly. The hanyou tucked into his ramen with more gusto than usual, earning a glance from the female. Her gaze was inquiring, but after a moment, she shook her head and resumed her meal—only to glance up when the wolf made his reappearance. She began smiling, but it soon faltered. What was going on? It was that moment the wolf scooped Saya up and dashed off. The remainder of the group stared in shock for a moment before everyone began gathering belongings and breaking down camp quickly—their meals all forgotten. What the hell just happened?!
Saya gave a shriek of surprise as Haru whisked her away. The young wolf demon continued running for a while before he came to a waterfall and slowed. Behind the waterfall was a cave, and Haru entered the cave before depositing Saya upon a nest of straw and pelts.
"Haru's back."
"Looks like he brought back dinner." Saya's eyes widened at the statement. They were going to eat her?
"Anyone who touches her, dies. Got it?" Saya's eyes grew larger still. She had not seen this side of Haru before. Was this how he normally behaved?
"Haruto!" Saya turned to the side to see a female wolf demon dressed in white furs and a chest plate rushing toward him. She seemed slightly older, but she was still beautiful. She had auburn hair and teal eyes. She held herself with an air of underrated power, like she knew she had power, but she didn't want to use it unless she had to. Once she had Haru in her arms, she turned to Saya. "Who is this, Haruto?"
Haru groaned. "Mom, it's Haru."
"I brought you into this world, I shall call you what I wish. Now answer my question."
Haruto? Saya thought with a snicker. Oh, she was not going to let him live that down.
Haru sighed. "Mom, this is Saya. She's the one I told you and Father about. Saya, this is my mother, Ayame—Alpha female of the Yoro Clan."
Saya nodded her head slowly. "Pleasure to meet you."
Ayame narrowed her eyes at Saya. "I do not see how this human girl could possibly help us, but if you say so, Haruto." The younger demon groaned again while Saya snickered. Ayame redirected her attention to Saya. "Follow me." Standing, Saya did as she was told. Confusion and worry quickly overtook her amusement at Haruto's name. What was going on? Where were they going? Why did Haru bring her here? Saya remained silent as she followed the demons in hopes that her unasked questions would be answered.
She followed the two demons deeper into the cave in silence until they came to a stop in front of a male that Saya swore was Haru's twin. The only differences between the two seemed to be the fact the other male was older than Haru, and Haru seemed to have most of Ayame's facial structures.
"So this is the person that will help us?" His gaze was intense as he stared at Saya.
"Yes, she can sense the Shikon no Tama, so she will be able to tell us when the Birds are close and which one to attack."
He hummed in thought. "What is your name, girl?"
"Saya."
He hummed in thought again. "I will need proof that you will be useful to us."
"You want me to point out the fact that you have one shard in your right arm while Haru has one in each of his legs? Will that help?" The three demons stared at her in shock. She turned to Haru. "What, you thought I didn't know about them? I saw them the first time I met you. They're a little difficult not to see with how bright they are. Same with his," she said indicating the male in front of them. The male Saya assumed to be the alpha (and Haru's father) nodded in approval.
"Very well. We will use you."
"Question: What exactly is going on?"
"You did not tell her?" Ayame turned to Haru with a stern look.
The younger male looked sheepish. "I didn't have the time. I figured I would be able to once I got her here, but you showed up before I got the chance."
Ayame huffed at her son. "I thought I raised you better than that. Very well, I will explain to you what is happening: There has been a war between the wolf tribe and the Birds of Paradise for many generations. They hunt our kind as meals while we defend ourselves against them.
"They had left us alone for a short time—until recently. Now they have begun attacking our men with renewed gusto, resulting in our dwindling numbers. The bird that possesses the Shikon no Tama fragment—the one that you will point out to us—is the one that is of the utmost importance that we annihilate. The job of the rest of the clan will be to destroy as many of them as possible while keeping you safe. Because Haruto brought you to us, he will be the one most responsible for your well-being."
Saya nodded slowly as her brain processed all the information given to her. "Okay, when do we start this 'end the war' thing?"
"Tomorrow, so get as much rest as possible tonight because you will need it."
Haru led Saya back to the nest he dumped her on when she first arrived in the den. "This is where you will stay until we start the attack." Saya glanced around. It was against the back of one of the walls of the cave, but everyone surrounded it. There was no sense of privacy—or security for her safety, for that matter. His tribe members stared at her with something akin to desire—the desire for her flesh in their bellies. She shifted a little closer to Haru.
"Well, you stay here, and I'll be back in a bit." Saya's eyes widened. He was leaving her alone with these people?
"Uh, mind taking me with you?" She hated that her voice was a little shaky. Haru, however, took no notice of that fact.
"Why would I do that? I'm supposed to make sure you're safe. You're the safest here." She seriously doubted that. "I won't be long. Just take a rest until I come back." Easier said than done. Saya was then left in a den full of man-eaters without the protection of Haru there with her.
After a while of sitting around doing nothing but fidgeting, Saya could not take it any longer. The intensity of their desire for her flesh was so great, she had to get out of there, if only for a short while. She stood, gaining the attention of those around her. She began walking toward the mouth of the cave.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Out for some fresh air. Sitting around doing nothing is driving me crazy."
"We cannot permit you to leave."
"Then come with me if you don't trust me enough not to run away." She mentally gave herself a pat on the back for how confident she sounded before she continued walking without looking back. She heard a pause as she assumed they glanced between each other before the sound of the hurried foot falls of someone following her reached her ears. She glanced to the side to notice one of the members not stopping her as she expected, but joining her. She noticed her new companion was similar in appearance to Haru in the fact that they both possessed dark hair, were clothed in fur and possessed similar body builds, but that was where the similarities ended. This male had green eyes and strong facial features. He did not seem to carry himself the same way that Haru did, but he did still carried himself with a certain kind of power that others of the tribe did not possess.
He looked over at her as she exited the mouth of the cave. "So what was the real reason you left the cave?"
Taken aback, she answered quickly, "Exactly as I said."
He snickered. "You're not hiding anything from anyone. I joined you because I'm the one less likely to kill you. Everyone else in there was debating on whether or not to kill you before you could attempt to escape. I'm saving everyone the trouble." Saya stared at the male in shock. "What? Your fear is radiating off of you, and everyone can pick up on it." She grunted in discomfort.
"I guess I don't need to try and cover it up then." Sighing, she glanced back at the den hidden behind the waterfall. "I can feel everyone wanting to eat me. It was giving me the creeps, so I needed out of there, if only for a little while. You don't seem to want to, though. Why is that?"
"Because I value my life more than getting a tasty treat. All of the alphas would be on us, not just Haru or Koga. Ayame-sama is extremely scary when she becomes enraged. The males I can deal with for the most part—they appreciate my strength too much to actually kill me, but I am certain Ayame-sama would feel no such loss at my death were I to kill the jewel detector."
Great. Now she was a jewel detector for not only Inuyasha, but the entire wolf tribe as well. Was there anyone that didn't want to use her as such in this era?
The male beside her noticed her sudden disheartened emotion. "Hey, you okay? Was it something I said? I'm sorry, don't cry!" He began waving his hands before him as if they would be a means to stop her from crying.
Her eyes snapped up from the ground to stare at the male in confusion. "I'm not going to cry, but now I'm confused as to why you thought I would."
"Your scent changed. You smelt saddened by something, and I was hoping it wasn't me."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you can smell my emotions?"
"Sure. All animals can," he replied with a shrug.
"Would, say, a half dog demon be able to?"
He wrinkled his nose. "Don't know why you would want to be around one of those mutts, but yeah, they could."
Maybe that was why he said what he had about Haru earlier…
"Don't tell me you have feelings for one." A blush fought its way across her cheeks. "Damn."
"What's with the language?"
"Was hoping I had chance at ya." Saya's eyebrows rose. "What? You're cute, and if you're any kind of useful, you'd make a great mate."
"What if Haru had his eyes on me?"
"I know better than that. If he wanted you, he wouldn't be bringing you into our den unmarked—or at least scent marked. He doesn't want you like that. He may have the others fooled, but not me." Before she could question what he was saying, a dead boar dropped from the sky and landed on top of the male next to her right as he reached out his hand to place upon her shoulder.
"Satoshi, what did I say about touching her?" Saya turned her gaze upward and saw Haru standing on a cliff ledge above them gazing at them with arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"It's Sato," he grunted pushing the corpse off of him and standing. "And I wasn't touching her."
Haru jumped down. "But you were going to."
"So? It's not like you have any claim on her."
Saya sighed. She didn't bother to comment that she was still within hearing distance; it would have only fallen upon deaf ears. It was just like when Inuyasha and Haru went at it. The two males were too focused on arguing with each other to notice anything within their vicinity. Instead, Saya began walking a little. She needed to stretch her legs, and she figured that once the two were done, they would follow to keep her safe—or at least just to keep an eye on her. She continued walking until she put a decent distance between the den but neither male followed after her. Curious, Saya returned.
Upon her arrival, she discovered Haru and Sato had disappeared from the entrance and everyone running about, almost in a panic. Male and female alike were gathering every kind of weapon possible: spears, bows and arrows, and swords to name a few. Saya searched the cave for anyone familiar that didn't pose as a potential threat to her wellbeing. She spotted Ayame shouting orders not far away; Saya hurried over to the other woman.
"What's going on?"
The alpha female turned to her. "Change of plans, we're attacking today. Some of our men have just returned from scouting—most were injured. We can no longer wait to end this war. We attack now. Prepare yourself, we leave once the weapons have been gathered. Go find Haruto and Koga. You will be accompanying them on this travel." Saya nodded and departed from the other female's side to do as instructed.
Using the feeling of the jewel fragments in their possession as her guide, she found them not far from Ayame, and when Haru saw her, he muttered something to his father before walking up to Saya. "You ready for this?"
"Do I have a choice?"
Haru grimaced. "No, I suppose not."
Saya sighed. "That's what I thought." Saya glanced around to take in what was happening around her. She knew the wolf demon tribe was preparing for war, and that she had just gotten caught in the middle of it all thanks to Haru. However, she couldn't bring herself to simply leave and let them down. Gathering herself, Saya stood tall and turned to Haru. "Let's get this over with."
He grinned in response. The two joined Koga and listened as he went over the plan again.
"Haruto, you will be in charge of the girl. Saya, when you sense the Shikon fragments, you let either of us know. Men, your job will be to help Haruto protect the girl and kill as many of those damned birds as possible. Ayame will be helping as much as she can with anyone who needs it. Everyone understand?" He glanced around to see everyone's confirmation. "Good, let's move out!"
Haru instantly knelt down for Saya to climb onto his back. Once she was situated, Haru grabbed onto her thighs and the tribe took off at an incredible speed. The wind rushing past was causing her eyes to water. Saya squinted in hopes of staving off most of the wind and regaining the ability to see. She couldn't be certain, but Saya thought that she caught sight of a flash red before she was forced to close her eyes against the great rush of wind.
Saya focused on trying to sense the presence of the Shikon jewel as Haru carried her. It wasn't until the group had been traveling for a while that Saya finally sensed something. "We're getting closer," she said in hopes to be heard over the rushing wind. She was thankful for his acute sense of hearing.
"Good, that means it's at home. We're almost to the nest of the birds. When we get there, just find out where it is, and then find yourself a place to hide. Got it?" Saya nodded her head against Haru's back. The tribe arrived shortly after.
As soon as the Yoro clan stepped foot into their territory, the birds began attacking. Haru maneuvered around everything that attempted to eat them. "Any idea where it is?"
"I think I sense it coming from the mountain."
Haru headed for the mountain, Koga and a few others following close behind. As the small group neared their destination, more birds bombarded them resulting in a number of the group to break off and defend themselves from their enemy. Soon, the only ones left were Haru, Koga, and Sato. Koga and Sato broke off to battle more birds to allow Haru the chance to locate the bird with the fragment.
"Hold on tight! This is gonna get bumpy." Saya barely had time to tighten her grip onto the fur on his shoulders before he sprung up, rebounding off the surface of the mountain to send them shooting for the summit.
Saya's eyes grew large as the presence of the Shikon shard was drawing closer. "It's just a little further up!"
"Further up? There's nothing up there!"
"I'm telling you, it's up there! About fifty feet up is my guess." After a moment's pause, Saya added, "It's here!" That moment was when the mountain side began crumbling and giant wings spread out from the falling debris, and the miko in training saw the largest bird she had seen (and probably would ever see). While the birds below fighting the rest of the tribe had only one blue, humanoid torso perched upon the top, this one had two. It was quite easily twice as big, if not three times larger than the others as well. Saya soon learned that it spoke as well when the humanoid torsos began cackling.
"We have been planning on attacking your tribe and taking the fragments you possess for ourselves, but you brought them to us. We must thank you for making things easier for us." They cackled with laughter again before diving for Haru. Thankfully, the wolf demon was faster than the large bird and Saya soon found herself being placed upon the ground.
"Sato! Look after her while my father and I take care of that bird brain!"
Sato nodded before grabbing Saya's arm and gently pulling her behind him. "Don't worry, we'll take care of ya." His cocky grin allowed her to calm just a small fraction of her anxieties before they skyrocketed once again. There was a bird headed directly toward them!
Sato turned around in time to see the threat and push Saya out of the way. He was not fast enough to get out the way of harm himself, however, and he was picked up in the talons of the bird demon.
"We have to help him!"
A tribe member shook his head. "It's hopeless now; he'll be eaten for sure."
Determination washed over Saya in waves. She would not let him die so easily after he had risked his life to save her. Frantically searching, Saya found a bow and a quiver of arrows laying discarded nearby. She rushed over, notching an arrow as she returned to her position and took aim. The arrow flew true, and hit its mark, slicing straight through the side of the bird, killing it instantly. Sato fell, landing on the corpse of the bird demon to cushion his fall. Saya grinned in satisfaction as Sato jogged back to them. She missed the looks of surprise and awe on the faces of those closest to her, as well as the murmurs of several of the tribe members quietly telling their comrades not to piss her off.
"Thanks, Sis. That was some shootin' back there."
"Thanks, but sis? Since when am I your sister?"
"I would like to think of you as my sister in arms. You're pretty bad ass, since you made that shot, so yeah. You're our sister now." There were a few whoops of agreement from the demons around her causing her to chuckle.
"Fine, brother." Sato grinned. Their joyous moment was short lived as a small cluster of birds appeared before beginning their attack on the group. One was headed straight at her, but before any of the wolves could react, it split in half with flash of light. Inuyasha jumped up from behind the halved corpse, and upon sighting Saya, stomped his way toward her. Sato stepped before her in an attempt to protect her from whatever threat the hanyou may bring, but Inuyasha simply deflected his attack and pushed him away from himself and away from Saya. Before he could open his mouth, Saya had disappeared from his sights and was instead behind him with the rest of their group. Inuyasha stood in place, fuming as the rest of the group conversed amongst themselves.
"Saya-chan! I am relieved you are safe."
Saya smiled at Sango before turning to Miroku when he spoke up.
"What is going on, Saya-san?"
"Right, there's an all-out war going on right now between the Yoro clan and the Birds of Paradise. Help for the wolf demons would be greatly appreciated."
"Understood." Miroku stepped forward and addressed the wolf demons who stood near him. "If you value your lives, stay behind me!" Grasping the prayer beads wrapped around his right arm, he pulled them off and unleased the power of his Wind Tunnel. Seconds after, he resealed it, and the sky was devoid of the birds except the large bird Koga and Haru were attempting to defeat. The wolf demons were left awestruck and quietly murmured their amazement.
Haru turned to see the group of comrades and cursed beneath his breath. The group showing up was something he did not want to deal with—especially because Inuyasha would likely want to pick a fight with him due to him kidnapping Saya. His suspicions were confirmed when Inuyasha shouted at him.
"Hey, mangy wolf, get down here so I can kick your ass for taking Saya!"
"I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now, Mutt-face. Go bark up another tree!"
Koga turned to his son. "Who are these people?"
"Some people I met during my mission to protect that kitsune pup. Saya is the one who now cares for the kit." Koga raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, its mom gave it to her. I tried to take it back, but nearly lost a body part for it. Besides, the pup has already bonded with her. It would be unwise to take it away."
Koga nodded. "Understood, now back to the task at hand."
Saya sighed as Inuyasha continued to shout obscenities at Haru. The other demons simply ignored him, causing him to renew his insults with vigor while following after them. Saya opened her mouth to tell the hanyou to give it a rest, but the returning of the fragment overtook her senses and startled a gasp out of her.
"Haru, it's coming back!"
Inuyasha paused mid-climb to glance back at her. "She's helping him?" he muttered under his breath in aggravated disbelief.
"Where is it?"
"In its mouth!"
"Finally," Koga said with a cocky grin, "Time to end this!"
The older wolf demon jumped onto the bird demon. He grabbed the staff Haru tossed to him before attempting to stick the weapon into its mouth. The aerial demon used its tongue to shift the weapon to the lay horizontally in its mouth and slammed its jaws shut, effectively trapping Koga's arm between its teeth. The shard in his arm fell out, and the flying demon dropped Koga at the peak. Before he could retrieve it, the bird snatched it before taking to the skies once again. Haru scaled the mountain in seconds to appear at his father's side. When Haru saw the wound on his father's arm, he growled. The demon would pay for what he did to his father. The bird circled around and began attacking both wolf demons. When it took flight once again, it circled overhead a couple of times before descending to finish the demons.
Haru glanced up when he saw red appear beside him. Inuyasha stood glaring at the bird as it began its dive-bomb on the demons on the peak. "This isn't your fight, Mutt. Get out of here."
"It became my fight when you took Saya away to help you. Now sit there and witness true power." He withdrew his sword and took an offensive position. Waiting until he could see the clashing of the two energies, Inuyasha swung his sword, "Wind Scar!" The bird was torn to pieces within seconds and fell to the ground. He glanced over to see Sango and Saya riding upon Kirara's back coming over to them. Inuyasha walked away before Saya set foot onto the ground.
Once upon the ground, Inuyasha rejoined Miroku and Hiyori. He did not have to wait long before the females came back with Koga and Haru in tow. He soon found himself surrounded by the remaining wolf tribe members trying to make sure that their leaders were all right. After a while, Inuyasha had enough and pushed his way through the crowd.
"Well, now that I've taken care of the pigeon from hell, I can get on with kicking your ass for taking Saya."
Saya looked up at Inuyasha, her eyes narrowed and piercing. Haru's head lie on her lap while Shippo dug through her bag to get her first aid kit. "There will be no kicking of anyone's ass. Haru isn't up for anything."
"Please, this is nothing," the wolf demon said, pushing Sato away when he tried to stop him and starting to stand. "The only one that's gonna get their ass kicked is you, Dog breath."
A sigh of long suffering escaped from Saya's lips. "Haru, if you are well enough to fight, then you are well enough to take your father back to your den and treat his injuries. You may be fine, but he is not." When the wolf demon showed no signs of yielding, Saya decided to use the big guns. "Do you want me to get Ayame-san involved?" She saw both wolf demons pale instantaneously and mentally chuckled; she knew that would work. If there was one thing she learned during her time with the wolf tribe, it was to never have Ayame be annoyed with you. It would always end badly for the other party.
"Keh, he's not worth it anyway." Haru bent down to pick up his father, but Inuyasha had other plans.
"Where do you think you're going? We're not done here! Get back here!" He began walking forward to start a confrontation.
Saya stood and turned her annoyed gaze in the hanyou's direction. "Inuyasha, tsuke!" To her amusement, he fell exactly as he had when her mother had used her subjugation beads. It seemed they truly worked. Good to know!
"Damn it, wench! What the hell was that for?"
She waited until the entire tribe vacated the premise. "You were going to attack them, and they were already injured. Didn't seem like a fair fight. Besides, they were kind to me, so I returned the favor."
"Kind to you?! He kidnapped you!"
"He just wanted my help to protect his tribe! There is nothing wrong with that!"
"Then he should have just asked!"
"Like you would have allowed the detour! It saved him the trouble. Besides, I've already given him an earful about it, so just let it go."
Inuyasha growled and would have responded if a member of the tribe had not returned. Saya instantly recognized him as Satoshi.
"Haru just wanted me to give you this as a thank you." He placed a flower into her hand. It was a purple and white iris. It was beautiful.
"It's beautiful. Give him my thanks."
"No problem, Sis." He winked at her. Saya chuckled but still shook her head in slight exasperation. It seemed to her that all wolves wanted to piss off the hanyou where she was concerned.
"Sis?!" Inuyasha was not one to miss the term of endearment, apparently.
"Of course. She is Haru's woman after all. Any woman of his is our sister." Saya bit back a groan. This would only irritate the hanyou more, and she seriously doubted she could take much more of his attitude toward the situation.
"Like hell she's his woman!" Inuyasha then lunged toward Sato.
"Tsuke. Sato, I think it's best if you leave now. It was nice meeting you all, and give Haru my thanks again."
"Right-o!" He gave a two-finger salute before dashing off. As he disappeared from view, Saya could not help thinking that Sato and Ayano were alike in many ways. It was a shame there was no way to allow them to meet. Something told her that the two would make a fabulous couple.
Inuyasha jumped up from the ground growling. "What the hell?"
Saya turned back to him with a bored expression. "What?"
"What the hell is wrong with you? They kidnap you, you were almost killed, and now you're sayin' that they were kind to you?"
"Yes."
He growled. "You make no sense!"
"And you're blowing this out of proportion! What does it matter that I think they were kind? That's my business. Everything has been dealt with, and now we can start on our journey again."
He huffed, crossing his arms and turning around. "I'm not blowing anything out of proportion! You're the one who seems to be taking their side over ours. Why don't you just go after that mangy wolf and join them?"
Saya narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Maybe I will. At least with them I'd be appreciated for what I do."
He huffed again. "Whatever, this is stupid." He began jumping up the mountain toward the peak.
With a glance at the others, Saya shrugged before joining Sango on Kirara's back. Once Sango, Saya, and Miroku were situated onto the neko's back, they glanced at Hiyori. "Sorry, there is not enough room for you on her back. We can make another trip down if you would like."
"There is no need. I will find my way up there shortly."
With a shrug, the trio set off. After arriving, Saya walked up the where the two shards lie. She placed them into the jar around her neck. A few seconds later, she was joined by Hiyori.
"You should apologize. He seems as though he is protective of you. He was worried when you were gone, even if he didn't show it."
Saya glanced up at the sulking hanyou. He was stationed away from the group. He squatted into a crouched position and was staring over the edge of the cliff. She cautiously approached him before kneeling down next to him.
"I'm sorry I worried you, Inuyasha. Thank you for saving me."
He turned away. "I bet you didn't even want me to." Confusion spread over her entire being. What was he going on about? Of course she wanted him to come her aid. "Doesn't take much, does it? A little flower."
"What doesn't take much? Is it because Sato said that I was Haru's woman? Don't tell me you're jealous."
He growled, jumping to his feet. "Why would I be jealous of that flea bag? I don't care!"
I so believe that one, she thought sarcastically. "I thought I've made it clear previously that I'm not interested in him."
"What you did previously stated otherwise."
"No, it didn't."
"Yes, it did!"
"No, it really didn't. I do care for him, but not in that way."
"I doubt he thinks of it like that!"
"So what if he does? That would be his problem, not yours!"
"If I have to keep seeing that annoying wolf around it is my problem!"
"God! Why is it that you males all refuse to use your heads and think?!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"Whatever!" Saya stood and stormed away toward Sango. "May I please borrow Kirara for a bit?"
"Uh, sure."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?!"
Saya turned around with a glare. "I'm going home, jackass!"
Hello all! I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update this story. I apologize if this chapter isn't as polished as my others. My normal beta has been busy, so I didn't bother her to ask if she could comb through it. I tried it myself, so bare with me, please. If there is anything that you noticed that needs some attention, let me know, so I can fix it. Thank you much! As always, let me know what you thought, and stay tuned for the next chapter. Thank you all again for putting up with such long periods between chapters. Thanks again! ~Saph