Chapter Three

"Why?"

"Because I hate feelin' guilty, and I'm not gonna let some spoiled princess brat send me on a guilt trip."

They'd exited the forest, had come to more mountains. "We'll have to climb over them," Kouga said allowed.

"But the wolves can't climb!" Ayame said to him, standing further back still. Kouga looked at them over his shoulder.

"You two, take the wolves around, we'll wait for you to catch up in the next forest."

"What about Ayame-neechan?" the two asked in unison, the white wolves around them began to whine at the thought of separation.

"She's coming with me." He gave a sigh and waved his arm. Ayame didn't reply or argue, but took a few jogging steps to catch up to him as he started up the hill. It wasn't so steep now, but she knew it would get steeper, rockier, and more dangerous.

"What about the others?" she whispered, trying not to breathe too deeply. Panting showed a lack of air, and that was weakness. She couldn't be weak around Kouga. "Why couldn't we all just walk around the mountains?"

"Because those two are a couple of idiots, but they're smart idiots. There's a village in the center of the mountain. They'll get there and know to avoid it, but not know how. Give them enough time they'll get through it, though. It's important to try and get them to think." Kouga rushed up a particularly steep and sandy piece of land, turning around when he heard Ayame yelp and begin to slide down. He skidded down the ground carefully and grabbed her wrist. "Why don't you use that shard you found?" he asked, snaking his arm around her waist and taking a small leap to his other position. "You'll be much stronger."

"To be honest," Ayame frowned when he let go of her and struggled to keep up as he climbed. "I don't find sticking a sharp object into me very exciting."

"Come here." A burst of wind pushed Kouga from the steep side onto a level plane close by.

"Huh?" Ayame dug her feet into the ground before she too leapt, catching onto the side of the plane with her hands. A whine escaped her as her feet scrambled to keep her from falling, but Kouga's calloused hands grabbed her wrists and pulled her up.

"Where's the shard?"

"You can't have it," Ayame said defensively. "I found it, it's mine."

"Fair enough, but you're still a weak bitch." Kouga grabbed for her hand, ignoring her protests. When she tried to pull away, he grabbed her with his other arm and pushed her to the ground, forcing her palm open.

"No, it's mine!" she practically screamed.

"Shut up and stay still!" he shouted and she fell silent, giving a jerk when he grabbed her leg. Ayame closed her eyes as he took the shard between his fingers and jammed it hard into her calf. For a moment, the gem stuck out, but then slowly sunk into her skin.

"Why there?" she gasped, the pain searing in her leg slowly fading.

"Because it's not an important part of your body, not as important as others, anyway." Kouga got to his knees and took her wrists again, helping her up. "I've seen demons put them on their heads, well their skulls were crushed to retrieve the shard. Some demons put them in their throats; they died too. Some swallowed them, keeping them in their stomach. Well… their guts were slit to find the shard. Put it in an arm or leg and that can be reattached if it's cut off."

"Oh." Ayame rubbed her leg briefly, then realized Kouga was holding his hand out to her. "What?" He rolled his eyes, giving a small sigh.

"Your hands are scratched; climb any more and you'll get blisters. Come on, I'll carry you on my back at the next hill, and when we get a river I'll wash your hands."

"I can wash my own hands!" Ayame whined but took his hand. He tugged her gently and she followed beside him, falling silent. Her hands were indeed very sore, and his hands were warm.

He led her along the path, trying not to make a haughty comment. Females were sensitive like that, and Ayame was a great example. Kouga glanced at her briefly but feared he would blush, so quickly kept his eyes forward. She had a temper to match his, but when the status quo changed in another's favor, she quickly backed down.

"Did you ever remember?" her calming voice entered his mind and he stopped to give her another look. She fell silent.

"On my back," he commanded softly and knelt. Ayame stared at him a moment before she crouched and slid her arms around his strong neck. He stood and caught her thighs, jostling her gently to pull her more securely onto his back. When he was sure she wouldn't fall off he leapt off the flat plane, beginning to slide down the mountain, breaking into a run when the steepness fell straight. He heard Ayame give a cry and silence it into his shoulder. "I won't drop you," he said loudly past the rush of the wind. He gripped her thighs more tightly as he ran, and then jumped, propelling himself from the wall and forward into the treetops. Her muffled scream returned and he felt her tense.

They landed, though he kept running. He slowed to a jog, then to an unhitched walk. "Are you alright?" he asked after a good hour. Ayame lifted her head from his shoulder and looked around. They were at a stream.

"I'm fine," she murmured, relaxing finally. He knelt and she slid from his back, sinking her legs into the cool water. Ayame looked up and began to stare at the sky, turning orange and pink. It amazed her how quickly the sky changed colours, and briefly her attention was deterred from her present situation.

"I remembered." Kouga's deep voice broke her from her thoughts, but she didn't look down. She felt him take her hands and sink them into the water, and then pull them out and rub them gently. His rough hands smoothed with the saturation, and his strong fingers worked rather diligently to carefully massage her own hands. Soon, the soreness faded away.

"And it doesn't bother you?"

"What doesn't bother me?" his voice rose slightly, not in alarm.

Ayame growled impatiently. "That you promised to take me as your mate!"

Kouga growled in annoyance. His body began to tense, his jaw locking momentarily. "I told you, I'm in love with Kagome!"

"She's a human, Kouga! Doesn't that bother you?"

"No, it doesn't!" Kouga made a snarl and clenched his fist. "Why can't you accept the fact that I'm going to—"

"She's in love with the hanyou! Can't you accept that? Are you so blind?"

Another, more vicious, snarl escaped his throat. Kouga turned sharply and roughly grabbed her forearm, tugging her forward. "You don't understand, Ayame! I might be able to sway her emotions, her affections, I can still—"

"It doesn't matter!" Ayame pulled at her arm. "You don't love me, so it doesn't matter!" She pulled again, but Kouga didn't let go, but his face had relaxed suddenly, as though realizing something. "Let me go! I don't even know why I bothered, I thought you'd… might change your mind. It was stupid—you're right, I am stupid."

"If you would just—"

"NO!" Ayame cut him off again. "It's not like you can keep any promises anyway!"

His teeth began to bare again, his body rumbling with a deep, throaty growl. Faintly, a muscle close to his eye twitched once or twice. "You… are THE most infuriating woman… I…"

She eyes caught a motion from his hands, but she didn't expect him to grab her throat. Ayame let out a shriek that immediately stopped as Kouga pulled her towards him, his hand tight to the back of her throat as he forced his lips down upon her. His second arm wrapped tightly around her waist, almost possessively, as he kissed her.