Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. But I will one day.

Chapter 9: Knowing the Truth

Makoto huffed and slammed the sliding door to his room shut, completely ignoring the wolf-hanyou in the main room that perked her ears as he entered. He was angry, frustrated, hurt. Not necessarily at Shippou, but at his complete dumb luck, but then again Shippou had made it worse. A lot worse. Or maybe he just raised the questions Makoto himself was to afraid to ask himself. Was he just looking for someone to cover the hurt that Akina had caused? He knew Kita wasn't loyal to her pack like Shippou had said, her pack had turned their backs on her. But would Kita be loyal to him? A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts, and Kita silently stepped in.

"Your brother looked angry. It's because of me, isn't it? He doesn't want me here."

"No, Kita, it's not you. He just doesn't understand yet. He doesn't see…" Makoto sighed. "He just doesn't see things the way I see them, that's all."

She nodded. "Um, Shippou's mate fell asleep in the other room, and I think he's going to stay here tonight."

"Keh. Let him do what he wants. He's going to do it anyway." He thought… "Oh. Uh…You can stay in here tonight. I'll just sleep outside."

Kita shook her head. "I'll go with you."

Makoto smiled back. "If that's what you want." Kita followed him out, under the great tree Goshinboku. Makoto couldn't sleep, not right away. Kita snuggled up beside him and let out a content sigh as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Everything felt so…right, when he was around her. Everything fell into place, like they had known each other forever. And now she still said she was leaving. Makoto knew it had to be something more than what she was letting on. Having to 'be somewhere else' just didn't seem like too good of a reason to want to run away with the injuries she had. It didn't seem like a good reason to risk her life over.

"What you thinking about?" Kita broke his concentration.

"Hm?"

"Just looked like you were thinking about something important."

"Kita, tell me the truth, why do you want to leave? Do you have someone else waiting on you?"

"Makoto, I already tol.."

"I know what you told me, but that's not enough. Why can't you…just…stay here?"

Kita snuggled further into Makoto's haori and allowed thoughts to go through her mind. She could tell him, it wouldn't hurt, as long as she left out the parts about the miko and the Lord of the western lands. What about the other things she had done? Maybe he would understand, maybe he would know she wasn't responsible for everything, maybe he would know a way to help her…

"Kita, please. I want to know." He wrapped his arm even further around her shoulders, pulling her into a loose embrace.

Kita let out a deep breath. "When I first came here, about two years ago, I ran into a youkai. At first I just thought he wanted to fight, most of them do. But, during the fight, I felt him place something around my…my neck." She rubbed her neck, feeling the small thread. "It was a hair, one of his hairs. After that he…he had control over me somehow. He gave me tasks to do, hor-horrible things, and I had to do them. The hair, it has a spell. Every time I refuse to do what he says, he uses the spell against me. It hurts too much. And…when even that didn't work, when I completely refuse, he takes complete control of me. It only lasts a little while, and he has to be close by to retain a stronger connection to the spell, but he could force me to…to…" she could go any further. At that point, simple tears just were not enough. It was the moment of truth for her, the moment she had told someone her secret, and now all she could do was wait. Moments of silence passed, and she cursed to herself for saying as much as she did.

"Oh, Kita…I…" He lowered his head and nuzzled into Kita's hair. "I'm sorry that had to happen to you. I promise, I'll protect you, I won't let that youkai take you away from me."

Kita froze. He was…nuzzling…her? Holding her? Promising to protect her? Didn't he understand the things she had done! "But, Makoto, I…some of the things I've done, they're unforgivable. I've…killed! Makoto, I've killed innocent people because of him, I've done things that's so horrible…"

"And none of that matters, because it's not your fault. He is the one to blame, not you. You said yourself that he's the one forcing you to do those things. That youkai is never going to hurt you again."

"Their…their blood is on my hands, not his! I..I did it."

"If he was controlling you, then it was him. Don't blame what he did on yourself!"

"He's after the miko, your Okaa-san! He wanted me to find her, and when I couldn't he tried to make me kidnap the inu boy, the son of the Lord of the Western Lands. That's when you found me! I couldn't do it, I couldn't… and then they were all around me. Inu-youkai, and I ran until I couldn't hear them anymore, but I…I…"

"You were hurt." She nodded. Makoto gulped and sighed out loud. "Do you know what he wants with Okaa and Keiji? He didn't say anything about it?"

"No. He just told me what he wanted. M-my Mas-, he, had some kind of grudge on the Lord. I att-, he made me attack the human village near the castle and kill some of the humans that worked for or were just too friendly with the inu from the castle. I think he was going to use the boy against his father."

"Thank you, for telling me everything." He nuzzled deeper into her hair, rubbing his nose against the side of one of her ears. So a youkai was hunting his Okaa. Not just his Okaa, he seemed to have a grudge against Sesshomaru too, or maybe just his entire family. Oyaji wouldn't stand for it, that Makoto was sure of. As soon as they got back, he'd tell InuYasha everything.

"Makoto?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you, for everything."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Come on InuYasha!"

"I said no!"

"I SAID YES!"

"Wench!"

"Baka!"

"Kagome…"

"InuYasha…"

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"SIT!" :THUMP:

"What was that for Kagome!"

"For yelling at me, BAKA!"

"You yelled at me first!"

"I wouldn't have had to yell if you would have listened to me!"

"We're not going and that's final. I'm the male and I get to say what we do and what we don't do."

"I'm the grouchy, irritated, sick, pregnant human wench with a submission spell around your neck so unless you want to find out first hand just how deep you have to dig to get to the center of the earth you'll just listen to me for once!" InuYasha stopped his sulking and sat cross legged across from Kagome. They had left Sesshomaru's castle just a couple of days ago, and were almost back home, but Kagome wanted to make one stop first.

"Alright. I'm listening, so go ahead."

"I just think we should go by Kouga's and…"

"Okay, done listening. No."

"Sit." :THUMP: "We should go by Kouga's and get his help with the hanyou-girl. Obviously she doesn't have anywhere else to go, and I'm sure Kouga would take her in if I asked him to. Watching him all the time I know how important the pack is to a wolf-youkai and…"

"Oi! When were you watching him!"

"Sit." :THUMP: "and I think she should be with a pack, if not her own, then Kouga's. Ayame and the others will not mind having the girl around. They put up with you enough to be use to hanyous by now."

"Keh."

"We're going then?"

"Keh."

"InuYasha…"

"Fine. But you better not 'sit' me if I use Tetsusaiga to carve him a new opening. This is a fair warning, Kagome. If he, or that little wench pup of his starts anything I plan on finishing it." Kagome just shook her head as InuYasha cradled her in his arms and took off east to Kouga's den. It wasn't really that far out of their way, not even an hour away, but as always that was the last place InuYasha wanted to be. He knew Kagome was right. The girl would be better off with the pack, and if Kagome asked, Kouga would take care of her and make sure she's not bothered.

The whole problem was, Kagome needed to rest. She needed to get home as soon as she could, and her worrying about the girl all the time instead of herself scared InuYasha. She had a bad habit of doing everything for everyone else and not thinking of what would happen to her. That's what made him love her in the first place. Another problem was that he was still frustrated with Sesshomaru. Something was going on in the castle, something big, and he didn't tell InuYasha a thing about it. That made the little bit a patience he had for Kouga fly out the window.

"InuYasha? Kagome!" Ayame ran out to greet her friends, hugging Kagome tighter than InuYasha was comfortable with. He growled low.

"Don't mind him." Kagome nudged him. "It's good to see you, Ayame."

"It's good to see you too, Kagome. Kouga should be back any minute. Would you like to come in and wait?" she nodded and InuYasha followed the two inside the den. The others were out, hunting or doing whatever the stupid wolves did all day, and for that InuYasha was glad and relaxed a bit. The last thing he needed was a den full of mangy wolves crowding around his pregnant mate. "How's Makoto? I haven't seen him since…"

"He's alright. And Akina?"

"She's fine now. Kigai and Kouga have been keeping a pretty strict watch on her, and she won't be doing anything like that anymore. So what brings you around here?"

"Well, a few days ago we ran across a young girl. A wolf-hanyou, and she was pretty hurt. Makoto took her back to the village, and we're on our way back now. I'm sure Makoto took good care of her, and since she's hanyou she's probably already healed quite well, and I just though maybe you could take her into your pack."

Ayame thought for a few minutes. "It wouldn't be that simple, Kagome. I can't make that kind of decision, Kouga has to, and not just any wolf is allowed in the pack. It's…

complicated. She belongs to another pack, a rival pack either way about it, and we don't know if she'll be loyal to us."

"Could you and Kouga come back with us?"

"That's just what I was going to suggest. We can leave as soon as Kouga and Kigai get back."

"Keh! Kagome, can I speak with you a moment!" InuYasha didn't wait for an answer, pulling her away and out of the den. "They are NOT coming back with us."

"InuYasha, please, don't start this again. They're going to come, take the girl back with them, and that will be that. No harm done."

"I don't want that mangy wolf anywhere near you right now, or ever for that matter, and you know why. Don't argue with me on this."

"Less than one day, then I promise to do whatever you say. I'll stay in bed all day like a good little wench." She gave her mate the sweetest smile she could muster and rubbed against his shoulder. He rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Fine. One day, and that's it. He goes, and the girl goes. None of that 'stay the night, leave in the morning' crap either."

"Kagome!" Kouga appeared out of no where, ignoring the growl already escaping the hanyou's throat, and grabbed the miko by the hand. "Long time no see. How's mutt face treating you?"

"Great…Kouga…" she replied, prying her hand loose from his grasp. InuYasha walked around the wolf-youkai and pulled Kagome to his side.

"So, what brings you around? Decided to get rid of the mutt after all?" Kouga smirked.

Kagome elbowed the raging hanyou beside her. "No, Kouga. InuYasha and I are fine. We were going to Sesshomaru's for Rin's wedding, and ran into a wolf-hanyou. She was badly injured, and Makoto took her back home. We're on our way there, and we were wondering if you and Ayame could come and…"

"and see if she could join our pack, right?" Kagome nodded. "Well…in any other case I would defiantly say no without hesitation, but since it is you who asked, and other than mutt face you are a pretty good judge of character, I guess we could at least go see her. I don't see the harm in it, though I'm not making any promises. Adding an outsider to my pack is risky, for all of us."

"What? The mangy wolf can't keep one hanyou pup under control?" InuYasha smirked, pulling his mate even further away from Kouga.

She eased herself out of his grasp. "Sit." :THUMP:

Kouga pointed down at the hanyou, sprawled out on the ground, and laughed. "You never learn do you, mutt!" :WHAM: He joined InuYasha in the dirt.

"Neither do you." Ayame added. The women looked at each other and laughed, their mates glaring angrily at each other from the dirt.

"Mangy wolf."

"Wimpy mutt."

A/N:

XD

Anyway, to answer a question, no I don't have a set time on posting my chapters. It's just whenever I finish the chapter and whenever I have the time to post it, though I do try to have it out as soon as possible.

As always, for points go to:

www dot freewebs dot com / kachiki(underscore)tsucasa