Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha, all rights belong to the creator, Rumiko Takahasi. I also lay no claim on the creation of Robin Hood.
Chapter Twelve: Disappointment and Dishonor
Twilight had begun to darken the horizon beyond the forest's treeline. A fire burned in the pit and a lone camper plucked at the strings of a shamisen. The tune he played was cheerful, despite the longing for someplace to belong. His mind began to wander as he played, he toyed with the thoughts of an evening walk along the outskirts of Nakimoto, before shifting towards what to eat for his evening meal. He decided to put some of the fish on the fire and discard the thought of a walk. As he softly sighed the sound of footsteps in the grass alerted him to the possibility of danger. Carefully and quietly he got to his feet and slipped behind the cover of a large nearby stone. The coursing river made it nearly impossible to catch any traces of the intruder's scent, but it did nothing to impede his exceptional hearing.
Whoever it was, well they were close now, he could hear the crunch of stone and dirt beneath their feet and the rustle of the branches being pushed through. Koga grew tense as the distance between himself and the stranger's closed. He unsheathed his dagger and held his breath, just as he was about to attack, a familiar voice rang out. "Koga, where, in heaven's name, are you hiding? It's just Inuyasha and I, there is no need to defend the camp."
The wolf youkai released the breath he didn't realise he had been holding; shoulders slumping as he exhaled. He stepped out from his hiding place and looked at them in an irritated manner. When he spoke his voice was laced with annoyance, "That river will be the death of someone one of these days, I swear it."
Miroku waved off the concern with a dismissive gesture, "It can be a bit of nuisance, but it is also one of our greatest allies. Sure it muddles yours and Inuyasha's sense of smell, but it also makes it more difficult for any youkai palace guards to find our little forest haven. I must entreat you to tolerate it for a little while longer."
The wolf youkai rolled his blue eyes, but argued the problem no further, instead he changed the subject to the next thing on his mind. "I thought you two planned on being away for a fortnight, and yet you returned a week early. Whatever brings you back so suddenly?" The crafty thief's cheerful expression shifted to one rarely seen. An expression of frustration and worry, something had certainly rattled him.
He answered curtly, "Even my luck was bound to run low at some point, but do not count me out just yet."
Koga merely lifted an eyebrow as Inuyasha smirked at Miroku's usual cocky response. The wolf youkai pressed for more information, "Something happened, I take it?" The two returning thieves tossed their packs into their assigned tents. Then they joined Koga near the fire, getting comfortable on the hollow logs they used as seats.
"You could call it something. It appears that my short stay in Nakimoto has raised a bit of suspicion against me, so I made the reasonable decision to distance myself from the village and Robin Hood." He smiled in that easy and reassuring manner most known to him. "It was wise to make sure Miroku and Robin were never seen in the same village again. So Inuyasha and I departed before Robin and associates were needed again."
It was moments like these that made Koga glad that he had cut his ties with the majority of civilization. He had no reasons to deal with the complications that came with keeping too much company. Unlike Miroku and Inuyasha, he much preferred to be alone, even if it wasn't always as such. With mock indifference Koga declared, "I'm surprised you allowed yourself to fall prey to the suspicions of others. It is rather unlike you."
Miroku snorted derisively, "As careful as I am, even I can be prone to detection. Unfortunately I am incapable of invisibility."
The feeling of unease that accompanied the thoughts of the prince catching up with the evasive criminals flooded Inuyasha. He wasn't so much concerned for himself, more so the safety of his dearest friend. The fury his heists had conjured would have him on the gallows before the sun even had time to rise. "I have warned you about being a bit more careful." Inuyasha had tried to sound haughty, but the concern still managed to alter his voice. "I mean, to think your identity could be uncovered by something as small as linking you to Robin via earring."
The statement earned Inuyasha a rather scornful look, but it softened as quickly as it appeared. "I was aware of the risks when we started and I was under the impression that you were too. I hope I wasn't mistaken."
Of course Inuyasha had known of the risks of their actions, but he didn't often consider actually getting caught. It was possible that he had permitted himself to get too confident, bordering on the side of arrogant. "I knew of the chances we were taking, but I suppose I got comfortable in the knowledge that we had not yet been caught. I mean, we had gone this long, so there was no reason for fearing getting found out now."
Koga grinned he knew what it was like to get complacent, to trust the people around you, but like Miroku had already learned, those same people can crush you. "Never allow yourself that kind of comfort Inuyasha, all good things can come to an end."
The hanyou hated when someone tried to educate him on things even they didn't understand. "Oh, save it. What do you even know about it?" The wolf demon poked at the fire, bringing the dying flames back to life.
"Inuyasha, I know more than you even know." What should have been the end to an unnecessary conversation, only managed to intrigue Inuyasha.
"What do you mean?", he casually asked.
Blue eyes that seemed to glow in the fire light fell on the hanyou. "Even you must know that wolves live in packs. Have you not ever wondered where mine was?" Inuyasha had never once questioned it, he looked toward Miroku to get a reading on whether he had ever thought to ask. The knowing smile of his friend's face was enough to annoy him. Of course he had thought to question it.
He sighed once, then turned his attention back to Koga, "I guess now is as good a time as any for a fireside story."
Three friends were gathered 'round the fire, the velvet night sky had just begun to fill with twinkling stars. The smell of burning hickory filled the air and Koga added more fish to the pan. His voice was a bit heavy when he finally began to speak. "I do not know if my tale could truly be considered a story, for it is much too short to be defined as such."
In his usual impatient way Inuyasha gave a quick gesture with his hand. "Short or not, let's hear this story. I mean stories can be short." Miroku grinned, rather amused by the hanyou's tactless, but true statement. It elicited an amused smile from the wolf youkai as well.
With a bit of laughter altering his voice, "You are right, Inuyasha. I suppose I was stalling a bit and it appears I still am." A sigh slipped into the wind of the evening breeze and blue eyes took on a distant quality; the storyteller drifted back into the past. As the tale was woven, the listeners traveled back in time with the weaver.
Four years in the past.
Koga laid beside the mountain's waterfall, its thunderous sound drowned out the chaos of the life that surrounded him. The war between the wolf pack and panther divas had been dragged out for what felt like decades. He had grown weary of the death, the violence, the lack of peace, and most importantly the loss of freedom. Being the pack leader's son left little room for mistakes and many depended on him for leadership when his father, Kotetsu, was away, but this was not the life he longed for. "Koga, my boy, have you wandered off again?" His father's voice shattered his altered reality and brought him back to the present. How was it that no matter where he ran to escape, his father never failed to find him? He sat up and found the man as he broke through the foliage.
The man stood at an intimidating six foot two, his midnight black hair had gone silver in some places, and like the scars, it lent to his distinguished appearance. His eyes were gray and shone like the moon. In his right hand he clutched a sword, but his left was gone leaving only a stump behind. "Sorry father. I needed but a moment to clear my mind and better prepare for the next fray." T'was a lie, but his father need not know that. In all honesty he longed to hide up in these mountains until the next wave had passed.
"You waste valuable training time daydreaming of nonsense. This is what life is for a wolf demon. We are born to fight for our territory, earn it, and keep it. You must learn to fall in line with your destiny, as my role will one day be yours."
Koga grimaced at the thought. "But what if I refuse it? What if I want a life of my own?" The leader took his son by the arm and roughly yanked him to his feet.
Disappointment covered his face, "You dishonor me. Do you wish to lament me as the father of a failure? You will accept your place in the pack or you shall fall as a hero before given the chance to reign. Do you understand?"
Panicked, he asked, "Do you mean to say the only way for me to gain freedom is to die?" His father squared his shoulders and faced his son coldly. "Yes. You shall be the pack leader or you shall fall on the battlefield as a hero. I will not allow you to bring shame to my name. Come, you have training to complete. Battle fast approaches." He dragged his son away from his peaceful haven and like the times before another piece of himself was left behind.
Iron clashed together in an ear splitting sound, each strike was a blow to an already tired soul. Distracted, Koga's grip on his sword loosened, and in an instant he was disarmed by his stern father. Before he could react, a sharp blow struck the side of his head, his vision darkened around the edge, he stumbled back before falling to the ground. "Pathetic. You allowed yourself to lose focus. Do you long for your idea of freedom so much as to embrace a quick death?" The world slowly came back into focus for Koga, a cut near his temple oozed blood, and his head pounded like a drum. It had become a rather common occurrence for his father to teach him lessons in such a harsh way.
He blinked a couple times to rid his sight of the last of the blur. He answered the man with a slightly slurred speech, "No, I'm not embracing death."
In a fit of rage his father demanded, "Then why are you digressing in your training? Are you trying to embarrass me?" Koga stared up at his father, anger fell to his stomach like a stone. How his father managed to make any situation about him was beyond his comprehension.
Furiously he yelled, "Of course not. It has never been my desire for you to be ashamed of me. I have only ever wanted you to accept me as I am. Why is that too much to ask of you?" By this point the wolf youkai had gotten to his feet and was face to face with his father. "Why can you not be proud of me?" Koga was about to ask his father if he even loved him when the sharp pain of being slapped stopped him. The crack of a hand on his cheek echoed in the mountain air.
His father shook furiously, "Proud? You want me to be proud?" His voice boomed like thunder and cut like a knife. "How can I have any pride when you are so weak? When the only thing I can count on you to do is let me down? Surely you ask such nonsense in jest. Now pick up your weapon and give me the slightest reason to be proud."
Koga trembled now, not out of fear but fury. He knew his father was not exactly elated that his son did not consider himself built for battle. It is not as though Koga was afraid to fight, he believed one should; for the right cause. But he had seen many of his friends fall. And for what? Hunting grounds? Territory? Their so called pride? "Why is violence and aggression the only way I can impress you? Would we not lose less if we compromise or form some kind of treaty?" The question earned him a sharp glare from his father, one that pierced like a dagger.
"How do you even dare make such a foolish suggestion to me? Have you no pride at all? You are a member to this pack and I expect you to start acting like it. Now pick up your damned sword."
He never even considered listening to his own son, nor could he ever think himself wrong. No. Koga was the fool. Never himself. Blue determined eyes fell on the pack leader, "No, I refuse to fight, to train, I am finished with my father's war. It was never mine to begin with."
Kotetsu slammed his fist into a nearby stone and it cracked under the force. "Watch your tone with me. I am not one to be trifled with. You will show me the respect I deserve."
Koga had begun to depart as his father spoke, he frowned at the demands made to him. "As far as I am concerned, I have already extended more than you deserved. Now excuse me, father." He brushed past him, bumping into him slightly as he passed by.
Kotetsu scowled, he turned and followed his son outside. "I demand you stop. You will not walk away while I am speaking to you." Koga did not react to the words, he was finished, and ready to start making decisions for himself. "Do you not remember what was told to you? I refuse to let you bring me such shame and dishonor."
Koga turned on him, arms extended and open. "Yes, I recall, but as you see as clearly as I, there is no battlefield for me to fall in today."
Kotetsu rebutted, "You are correct, but as I remember it, you fell prey to a scout from the enemy."
Koga choked out a harsh laugh, one that dropped like a brick in the peaceful mountain air. "You mean to kill me, father?"
His father promptly replied, "If it must be done, then so be it."
Completely taken aback, Koga stood in stunned silence, so this was how it was to be. He would not fight, not even his father, and he no longer had it in him to even pretend to try. "Do as you see fit." He turned to return back to the pack's den, if he was to kill him, then he would at least have his attacker come up from behind; like the coward he was. He did not even give him the satisfaction of a cry when blade met flesh, nor did he scream when he slid from the edge of the mountain and dropped to the rushing river below.
He had been saved by a kind elderly couple, the first two human's he had ever met, and they were the ones to tend to his wounds. He had made a full recovery and made use of some wolves to infiltrate the pack and deliver intel to him. The last news he had received of the pack, his father had tearfully given news of his son's untimely passing. He had remarried and his new mate gave him another son to force a lifestyle on. Karma finally caught up with the fearless leader and they had lost their precious territory to the panther's and the pack was forced to move on. After that, Koga moved on too and never looked back.
Present Time
The fire crackled low now and the aroma of fried fish lingered with the rising billow of smoke. The silence stretched painfully, as Inuyasha took the time to let the story sink in. It wasn't as though he couldn't understand what happened, more like he rather not had to believe it. Koga's eyes shifted towards the river, it rushed by, burbling noisily. "Well, there you have it, Inuyasha, my tragic little tale. Twas the story of the day I died."
The hanyou smiled with a touch of melancholy in his eyes. "I suppose we have always been misfits, the unwanted, the lost, and alone. We have all suffered in our lives, albeit differently, but pain is pain."
Miroku knew it was silly to feel pride in his team and himself for bringing them together, but he felt it nonetheless. "You could not be anymore correct, Inuyasha, pain is indeed pain. Which is why we have taken it upon ourselves to alleviate that pain in others as much as we can. Together we will break the chains Prince Naraku has placed on Nakimoto and the villagers." Inuyasha and Koga grinned confidently, with Miroku's fearless and clever leadership skills, they believed they could achieve just about anything. The only thing that worried Inuyasha was Miroku's identity crisis. He feared that Miroku could be outmatched if he was ever unmasked. Not because it made any difference in his abilities, but because it could prove to be a fatal blow to his confidence. A blow that Inuyasha was determined to avoid at all cost.
(A/N The wait for this update wasn't nearly as long as the last. I have ideas for the next chapter, but think it may help if I do a complete outline for it before starting. That way it may not take me as long to figure out everything I need or want to include. As I stated in my last note, I do have an idea for a story with a much more mature storyline and darker themes. If you're interested in something like that, let me know. As always, leave a review, I love hearing from my readers. Favorite and follow if you so choose. Best of luck and happiness to you all in the New Year.)