A RAINBOW PROMISE
An Inuyasha short story
Kōga and Kagome returned to the Wolf Demon Den under the waterfall in no time, thanks to Kōga's jewel shards. She took note of how convenient that was for him, to be able to travel to wherever he wanted so quickly.
I never thought about it before, but I think it's one of the few times I've seen the shards of the Shikon Jewel being used for something other than evil. It's pretty impressive how the shards don't overtake Kōga like I've seen so many times before. He must be stronger than I thought to be able to use the shards to his benefit without turning into something completely evil.
Kōga set her down once they reached inside the cave. She took in all the wolf demons who were lounging about, some leaning against the cave walls with their wolves, some eating, and some on handmade stretchers. She walked up to those first, not being afraid anymore of Kōga's tribe. They all showed her the utmost respect after she helped save the tribe from the Birds of Paradise, and some she even considered friends, like Ginta, who was one of the wounded.
"Kōga told me you guys were injured fighting a demon." She said, kneeling down to him. "I have some medicine from my country if you'd let me take a look."
"Sure, Sis." Ginta nodded graciously, rolling over to expose his scratched up hip.
Ugh, I'm not your sis. She groaned to herself, but went straight to work; assessing the wound and digging out her first aid kit from her large yellow backpack.
Kōga stood close by, smiling proudly. Oh, Kagome...
"That bastard." Inuyasha huffed, sniffing the ground where Kagome stood when Kouga caught up to her. "He was with Kagome. I can smell both of them!"
'Maybe she finally realized how much of a jerk you are and ran off with Kōga to join the wolf tribe." Shippo said smugly, jumping on Inuyasha's back.
He narrowly dodged the clawed fist of an angry half demon and hid behind Miroku for protection. "Ah!"
"Screw you. She wouldn't dare betray me!"
"Where does the scent go, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, trying to save Shippo from being thrown over the treetops.
Inuyasha bent back down to sniff a few more times, and then started crawling in the direction the scent went.
"Maybe she went back to her era," Miroku offered. "And they went their separate ways."
"No. The scent is leading towards the opposite direction. There's no mistaking it. They left together." Inuyasha growled, standing up and yelling to nobody in particular. "She really went with him? That mangy wolf is gonna pay for this!"
After Kagome had dressed the tribe's wounded comrades, Kōga ordered a couple others to fetch them some lunch to thank the priestess. They returned with freshly caught salmon, a butchered pig, grapes and apples, and some firewood. Kagome was surprised to see Kōga build a fire and start roasting the salmon and pig on a spit.
"I didn't know you could cook, Kōga." She said softly, watching him with a small smile.
"What did you think we do, eat this stuff raw like some wild animals?" He winked at her and passed her a fish on a stick her size. Then sat down beside her with a larger portion on a much larger stick. "How do you like it?"
"It's great, thanks. Usually I'm the one cooking. It's a nice break having someone else do it."
"Heh. Figures that mutt can't do anything except swing his sword around."
Kagome quietly nibbled her food. That's not completely true. Inuyasha has cooked a few times. Not very good cooking though. But why didn't I stick up for him just now? Am I still that mad at him?
"When you're done eating I want to show you something." Kōga said, interrupting her thoughts. He wasn't looking at her directly but she could tell he was watching her.
"Kay. Let's go."
She followed him outside beyond the cave and down a well beaten path. "I've never really noticed how beautiful it is here. The water is so clear and there's flowers and plants everywhere."
Kōga nodded. "It really is, isn't it. But there's more to see."
He offered her his hand causing her to raise an eyebrow at him curiously. But when he didn't retreat she put her small hand into his large palm. As they walked up the grassy hill she looked down at their intertwined hands and found herself blushing. Inuyasha only held her hand a couple of times. When they were running from danger or after they had some heated arguments. It was always gentle though, Inuyasha never holding on too tight. Kōga's grip on her hand was firm and steady though. His hands were calloused and rough, but she felt safe none the less.
He led her to the top of the hill, just over the edge of the waterfall. The sight she took in made her gasp in awe. A giant rainbow had formed over the sky, just under the sun that begun to peek out from the dark clouds.
"Oh wow! It's so big I can't tell where it starts and where it ends." She turned to him. "How did you know it would be here?"
Kōga half smiled at her. "There's always a rainbow up here after it rains. Don't know why, just always is. I've wanted to show you for a while now."
Kagome smiled back at him, their hands still enclosed. "I'm so glad you did."
She never noticed it stopped raining.