A Wolf's Only Wish
-Territorial-
"The Jewel!" Inuyasha cried as he watched the shining orb rolling away. He leaped over, hand outstretched as he tried to grab it. But, the crow's speed was too great for the half demon. The crow dived down and caught the jewel in its mouth, as quickly as it had dived down; the crow was already flying outside through the huge hole in the roof.
"Urrrrgh!"
Kagome jumped out of the way and stared at the frustrated half demon.
"Stupid! How can you let the Jewel get away? It was in your body, aren't you supposed to be its protector!"
"Don't yell at me! You're the one who didn't grab it when you had the chance to." Kagome shot back.
"It's not her fault you're too slow, half breed!" Koga added with a snarl.
"Exactly! Thank you Kog-… wait you're the one who stole the Jewel!" she tried putting on an angry face but was failing miserably.
Koga grabbed Kagome's hands into his own, "I didn't steal anything! I tried to stop you from falling to your death! I didn't know that you wouldn't get harmed when you reached the bottom of the well. Seriously Kagome use your head, we had a freakin' heart to heart before you disappeared. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"Bull shit." Inuyasha snarled.
Koga growled at the dog, "Don't we have a Sacred Jewel to retrieve that this half breed lost!"
Inuyasha made a fist, "Why I oughta-"
"Hello! The more you talk, the farther and farther away the Jewel gets." Kagome said as she grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows on the floor, which were still bloody.
"Fine, hop on." Inuyasha said as he turned his back to her.
"Huh?!" Kagome sweat dropped.
"Are you coming or not?!" he snapped.
"Oh yeah like you can keep up, mutt." Koga said in a mocking tone and took off leaving behind a whirlwind of dust.
Kagome awkwardly climbed on Inuyasha's back, "Wow, I forgot how fast he was…" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Heh! Humans are so easily impressed!" He snorted and held onto the upper part of her legs.
Kagome blushed, 'This feels like such a déjà moment.'
"Don't think that I enjoy touching the likes of you." Inuyasha snarled as he sensed her embarrassment and started to sprint into the forest.
Kagome held on tighter, "You try to act all tough but you came to save me today… thank you."
"Keh…" was his final answer as he concentrated on following the scent of the wolf and crow demon.
Moments passed and Kagome groaned while in her uncomfortable position, 'Maybe wearing my school uniform really IS a bad idea.' She mentally noted as she glanced down at her inner thighs which were getting red and irritated.
Inuyasha growled, catching her attention, "You're wolf boy is up ahead."
"He's not my wolf boy!" She cried.
"Whatever." He muttered and jumped high up into the treetops which caused the girl on his back to squeal. Kagome gasped as she watched Inuyasha's feet skillfully hopping from branch to branch.
"Do you see the bird?"
She scanned the sky for a moment. It was a sunny, cloud free day. In no time she spotted the black crow demon far off in the distance.
"Yeah! Straight ahead. Hurry Inuyasha!"
"Oh, don't worry about me! You worry about getting those arrows to hit that damn demon!" Inuyasha said as he began to take bigger leaps.
"Okay!" she nodded and brought the bow in front of her. She grabbed and arrow from the quiver and aimed it at the demon flying in the distance.
Inuyasha continued leaping from tree to tree. He increased his speed which made Kagome shaky and not able to get a clear shot. He could see Koga farther ahead down below the tree tops. This made him snarl and move faster than he ever moved in his life.
"Inuyasha! I can't shoot when you keep jumping." Kagome cried.
"Hmph! Kikyou would be able to do it!" He snapped.
"What?!" she glared at the half demon and brought down the bow.
"What is he doing?!" Inuyasha growled, catching Kagome's attention.
"Huh?" Kagome diverted her eyes from Inuyasha to the wolf prince, "Koga?" she watched as he jumped up into the tallest tree and chased the crow demon; he was much closer to it than they were.
"Fool!" Inuyasha snarled.
"No! No! He might be able to get him! Go Koga!" Kagome cheered much to Inuyasha's disgust.
Koga heard Kagome's cheer in the distance which gave him additional adrenaline and courage. He leaped in the air and swiped at the crow demon. There was a loud squawk and feathers in the air.
"Did he get him?" Kagome asked more to herself than to Inuyasha.
"Pfft! No, he totally missed! Humans have such weak eyesight." The dog demon side of him laughed coldly. They were getting closer now, 'Oh, Gosh this is going to be terrible…' Kagome thought as she aimed the arrow once again.
"Koga don't attack yet!" she yelled out to make sure she didn't accidently shoot him with her terrible archery skills. She shot the arrow and missed. Kagome and Koga both sweat dropped. Inuyasha was in pure shock.
"That was just terrible! You definitely are no Kikyou! How could you miss? You're no help at all! Why would you grab a bow and arrows if you don't know how to use it?" Inuyasha ranted.
"Shut up!" Kagome yelled feeling her eyes water. 'Why do his words hurt me so much…?'
"Kagome, you can do it! Don't listen to that dumb dog!" Koga yelled back, hoping that she would hear.
Kagome did hear, and she smiled as she loaded another arrow to the bow. She was a jumble of emotions while she pulled back the string of the bow. She channeled all her emotions into this single arrow, her anger, her frustration, her fear, her worry, her pain; it was all in the arrow. Her body began to glow an ominous lavender color and a powerful spiritual aura radiated from her body.
Inuyasha turned his head and looked at her, "What the-"
Kagome shot the arrow and the spiritual energy was sent straight for the crow demon. Koga recognized the sparkling lavender arrow from the time with the Birds of Paradise, and he knew the damage a single arrow like that could do.
The crow demon just barely dodged the arrow. It squawked in fear and swallowed the Shikon Jewel. "No!" the girl and the two demons cried in unison. The crow demon made a terrible noise that caused Inuyasha and Koga to whimper and Kagome to cover her ears. The demons small body painfully morphed into a more larger and monstrous one. The crow's teeth and talons grew to the size of Kagome's forearm.
"Kagome, Kaede's village is up ahead. I think this demon is planning to attack it." Inuyasha informed her of his suspicions.
"Oh no!" Kagome cried out in a panic.
"Calm down. Just shoot it down with that spiritual energy stuff you did before." Inuyasha said as he ran faster.
"I can't!"
"Do it Kagome." He said in a stern, father-like tone.
Kagome nodded and took a deep breath. She could see the village up ahead. Kagome didn't even want to imagine how many lives that could be lost if she didn't purify this demon. Flashbacks of all the deaths she had already seen haunted her, the wolf demons, the Birds of Paradise, the bandits back in the hut. She did not want to see dead women and children. She aimed another arrow and took a deep breath as she channeled her emotions once again, but this time there was an additional feeling, her need to protect. She needed to protect all those innocent people or else she'd never be able to live with herself.
Her body once again glowed lavender as she released the arrow, "Hit the mark!" the arrow soared through the sky and hit the crow demon.
"Yes!" Koga cheered.
But, they're excitement was cut short, "The crow's not purified!" Kagome gasped.
"Man, your spiritual energy sucks." Inuyasha said and received a slap in the back of the head by the small girl that was riding on his back. He kept running, they were already on the outskirts of the village, near where all the farms were.
"Good job Kagome, you slowed it down!" Koga said as he and the half dog demon caught up to the crow.
Suddenly Inuyasha came to an abrupt stop and dropped Kagome who landed on her back side. Koga wanted to stop and beat the Inuyasha into a bloody pulp but decided not to for Kagome's safety; he continued to pursue the crow demon.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" she yelled looking at him angrily.
"You're slowing me down! You're a lot heavier than any other girl I've ever carried!" And with that said he ran off, "And you're no help to me whatsoever!" he added.
"Grr… Oh, I'll show him!" she growled and got to her feet and ran into the village. She could see Koga and Inuyasha trying to attack the crow demon on the other side of a river. The crow was hurt badly, it barely evaded the attacks.
The crow demon flew across the river. Kagome gulped, fearing that the crow was after her, but to her surprise it dove down towards a wooden bridge in the middle of the river. The villagers were walking over the bridge going on with their daily routines. The crow demon plucked off a small child that was walking with their young mother.
"No!" Kagome cried and ran with all her might.
Though far away, Koga still heard Kagome's cry. Instinctually he went off course and leaped over the river to the side Kagome was on.
"Somebody help!" the young mother cried as she watched the crow demon flying down the river with her only son.
Inuyasha was up above the treetops once again. He was literally running right above the crow demon now, "Looking for your next meal already, huh? You forget, you first have to get through me."
Kagome ran to the edge of the bridge, Koga right behind her, "Inuyasha no! You'll hurt the boy!"
"Back off!" Inuyasha ignored her warning, "Iron reaver soul stealer!" he yelled as he sliced the crow into pieces with his claws. The boy fell from the sky, into the river. The villagers screamed in horror and mourned because they knew the boy would surely drown.
Inuyasha was on the other side searching for the Shikon Jewel, totally disregarding the little boy's life in front of him. 'Selfish jerk!' Kagome thought.
Kagome climbed over the edge of the bridge. Koga grabbed her by her shoulders, "Not this again! Kagome you can't go it's too dangerous. No one can save him now."
She shrugged off his hands and glared daggers at him. He quickly released her. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." She said coldly, 'Apparently nobody in this time can swim…' She thought as she dived in. She swam quickly with good form, even the waves were fighting against her. The villagers and Koga followed them down the river, all amazed at what she was doing. 'I'm so glad I took lessons.' She thought as she got closer to the boy who was screaming and sinking into the water.
"How can she do that?" asked one man.
"She's fast." Said another.
Koga smirked, 'Kagome… You are always full of surprises.' But, his smirk soon became a sneer as a senile old man began to yell.
"She's a nymph I tell ya! A water nymph, she's not human at all!"
The villagers all began to whisper amongst themselves. Was she really a water nymph? Koga growled, were average humans really that dumb? They all stared at Koga in horror when he growled, "WHAT?!" he snapped. They immediately looked away, "… And Kagome is not a water nymph!" he added, "She's just the most amazing human I've ever met."
Kagome reached the small boy in time. She grabbed hold of him and swam back towards land, "Hang on. I've got you." The boy was gasping for air; she made sure to keep his head above the water.
"It's on its back now! I don't believe it! What a day, what a girl, what a nymph!" the senile old man yelled; apparently he had ignored what Koga had said earlier. Kagome kept swimming, "And they say teenage girls get excited…"
"Save the Jewel, stupid! The Jewel!" Inuyasha yelled on the other side of the river as she finally reached land.
The small boy ran to his mother and jumped into her arms, "Oh mama, I was so scared."
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and glared at him which sent shivers down his spine, and then she looked away with a 'hmph!'. Inuyasha stood there flabbergasted. Kagome stood in front of the mother and boy. "Thank you for saving me." The boy said. "Thank you, thank you." The mother cried. "It's okay." Kagome said not as nicely as she wanted it to come out.
Koga embraced Kagome, "That was amazing!" He cupped her chin and rubbed her cheeks to get off the spatters of dried up blood. The villagers all began to whisper and gossip, as they saw this as a term of endearment. Kagome blushed since she already knew what they were thinking. Koga smirked at the fact her cheeks were turning red. He had the urge to kiss her pink lips, but that thought was all gone when they saw the crow demon fly out of the river, his body fully regenerated.
"Hey it's getting away!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Ah, shit. Give me a break." Koga growled at his moment being ruined. "Be right back Kagome." He said and ran off.
The small boy screamed as the clawed foot of the crow demon was stuck on his yukata. The foot was trying to rejoin with the crow's body. 'This is ridiculous!' Kagome thought, "Hey, Sir. Can I borrow your bow?" She asked. The man nodded and gave it to her, "Sure, but it's so far."
Kagome took the crow's clawed foot and tied it down to an arrow. It was moving violently, trying to get free. She aimed the arrow, and pulled the bow's string far back, 'I can do this! I know it!' She chanted in her head.
"Like butt she's gonna' hit it." Inuyasha snorted.
Kagome shot the arrow and it headed straight for the crow demon. Inuyasha watched as he was proven wrong, "I get it. She's shooting the foot."
'The foot can't help but be drawn to the Jewel. It almost guarantees it will hit!' Kagome thought.
"Heh, shows she's smarter than you dog breath." Koga commented to purposely get on Inuyasha's nerves.
The arrow hit the crow demon directly in the center and it was purified instantly. The arrow also punctured the Shikon Jewel. The cracked right down the middle and a burst of flashing lavender and blue lights went off. Many people had to shield their eyes from the intense brightness. At first Kagome was excited that she hit the demon, but now she was slowly starting to realize that she had made a grave mistake.
There was a loud cracking sound. The Jewel had split open and broke into many tiny pieces. The bright sparkling fragments flew in different directions, following the lights with your eye you could tell they went far across Japan.
"Lady Kaede! Look at all these lights." The men exclaimed as they followed her outside the hut.
"Oh, ay. And I like not the looks of this." The old priestess said.
Kagome fell to her knees, realizing what she had done. Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders roughly. When had he got there? He shook her violently, "Look what you've done!"
"DON'T TOUCH MY KAGOME!" Koga yelled as he punched Inuyasha in the face.
Inuyasha pulled up his sleeve. "Wolf, I am sick and tired of you!"
Koga defensively stood in front of Kagome protectively and growled, "Like wise."
This was the most animalistic Koga had ever looked. Kagome was frightened. Should she stop him and Inuyasha from fighting? What would Inuyasha do to her if he beat Koga? She didn't want to gamble her own life along with Koga's. All her anger towards him was quickly forgotten.
"Koga, don't…" she pleaded as she held onto his arm.
Koga looked down at her frightened eyes. It broke his heart. She was scared of him. His own anger was halted. He crouched down next to her, looking deeply in her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry Koga." She said referring to the Shikon Jewel.
"It's okay Kagome." He breathed only a centimeter from her lips.
Her cheeks were bright red. She didn't know what to do. Her heart was racing; her belly was doing back flips. Inuyasha was watching them! Why did she even care that he was watching? Why did she suddenly feel guilty and want to run into Inuyasha's arms? He was a mean spirited jerk… But, there was just something about him.
Inuyasha watched the pair in disgust. He was angry, his blood was boiling. But, why? Why did he care? What was this feeling in his stomach? Jealousy? No, it couldn't be. But, he couldn't help it. He wanted to bash Koga's face in even though he wasn't sure as to why. He lunged to attack Koga. Kagome saw him and gasped, "Sit, Boy!"
"Urgh!... bissssh."
Koga stood at his full height of six foot one. He glared at the fallen dog demon, "Stay away from my Kagome!"
"Your Kagome? I belong to no one!" Kagome yelled.
"But-" Koga began.
"But nothing! I am not property to be owned. I am a person! I have rights!" she yelled. Koga was about to speak but Kagome started again, "Urgh! I can't deal with you two! You guys are unbelievable. Just leave me alone! I will deal with the Shikon Jewel by myself."
"Kagome, it's dangerous work. You need hel-"
"No I don't!" she stomped her foot, "Not when the people that are trying to help me keep trying to kill each other! When you two can act civilized then come back to me."
"Why the hell do you want the dog around you anyway?!" Koga yelled.
Kagome bit her lip. She didn't even know why she wanted him around either. She looked away, "He's good…"
"Pfft! Good? Give me a break! He treats you like crap Kagome! I'm the one that really cares about you. I lo- I… I care about you a lot."
Kagome sighed. Was he about to say the big L word to her. She was happy and sad at the same time. She needed time to think.
"Koga… I just need some time to myself for a while."
He nodded, "I understand."
Kagome gave a weak smile, "I'll be at Kaede's if anybody needs me." She said and walked off into the village.
Inuyasha laughed, Koga looked back at him and saw he was propped up on one elbow on the ground. "That was pathetic." Inuyasha commented with a snarl.
Koga growled, "Stay away from Kagome… I can tell you like her."
"What?!"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I can sense your jealousy and desire a mile away!" Koga made his hands into fist, "She's mine."
Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, "We'll see about that…"
