Chapter 59
Lupus non timet canem latrantem
"A wolf is not afraid of a barking dog"

"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."
—Macbeth

Inuyasha was going to keep it together. He was a man of honor. Of dignity. He had morals.

Which is why he was currently struggling with himself—well, everything really.

Kagome shifted on his back, and her nails dragged along the skin just under the base of his throat.

He scowled harder to keep the flush at bay, because each slight scratch of her nails made him eight kinds of tingly all over. And fuck him if it didn't feel ah—mazing.

"Everything all right, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, peering over at his face. "You look upset."

"I'm not upset!" He retorted, albeit quietly, and Miroku hummed in that way that ensured that whatever came out of his mouth next would require him being punched in the throat.

Perhaps repeatedly.

Inuyasha could only hope.

He would leave or jump ahead, but that would jostle the sleeping girl on his back, and he'd only just gotten her to fall asleep in the first place.

Sango looked over his shoulder at Kagome's face, staring at her for a moment.

"Is she asleep?" Sango asked quietly, and he gave a firm nod.

"Good," she sighed. "She looked exhausted this morning. And I'm sure being at Kunitame's house didn't help much either."

"We'll sto—" His voice broke as she clenched her hands and released them, letting the nails almost caress his chest. It took every bit of him to strangle back the moan that wanted to erupt from deep within him. He cleared his throat, but Miroku's face showed that he hadn't fooled him at least. "We'll stop earlier tonight. Let her sleep until dinner."

It didn't help that all those tingles were starting to center in a very specific place, and it was a place that he didn't want to draw attention to currently. Or ever.

If the monk noticed, he'd just have to kill him.

That was the only option.

And when Kagome woke up, he'd just explain that it was simply Miroku's time to go. Things like this happen, or so he's heard. People die, Kagome. It's a fact of life.

"A genius plan if I've ever heard one," Miroku said with a very suspicious smile on his face. "What do you think, my fair Sango?" He reached out and took her hand in his.

"Why are you acting weird?" She asked him, turning around to walk backwards as she glanced between himself and Miroku. She sighed loudly. "Stop agitating Inuyasha while Kagome is sleeping."

"So I can agitate Inuyasha if she's awake?" He asked, and Inuyasha could feel the rolling of her eyes from where he was behind her.

"I'm not even going to attempt to answer that."

"Well, it's a valid question, and one that deserves an attempted answer."

Inuyasha huffed, trying his best to ignore the lecher, who had for the moment, found someone else to torment.

He was still half-convinced that Miroku had dug up dirt and blackmailed her into marrying him.

That made way more sense than Sango voluntarily choosing to enter into such misery. The two of them bickered way too much for it to be a healthy relationship.

He continued walking, keeping his gait even and fluid, and her breathing remained steady and calm.

Good, the girl needed some sleep. She'd passed out as soon as he'd sat down beside her last night, and she'd clung to him the entire time. Not that he was complaining by any means.

A loud slap echoed, making some of the nearby birds squawk and flutter away. Kagome made a noise, and shifted, her fingers practically caressed his skin. The tingles returned full force and made his gut churn a bit, but pleasantly? He kinda wanted to just stop, so there wasn't anything else detracting from the experience. It was a very weird feeling, and it was the only thing that stopped his tongue from snapping loudly at the monk.

When she settled back against him, he glowered at the monk, who only looked halfway sheepish about his actions, holding up his hands in almost surrender to him. Like that was going to fix anything if she actually woke up.

"Sorry," he whispered, staying on the opposite side of Sango for the moment. "I have cursed hands."

"Hand, you have a cursed hand," Sango corrected, and Inuyasha watched the sheer horror flicker across her face as soon as she registered just what it was she'd said.

"See! Sango acknowledges that it's not my fault!" Miroku nearly shouted with utter and uncontrollable glee. "It is a generational curse."

"Well, your cursed hands needs to find another home before I break it."

"But dearest Sango, how will I ever—" Miroku's voice drifted off as Inuyasha fell back a few more paces. Eager to just have the time to himself, and he didn't want to hear whatever excuse the monk came up with to justify keeping his fingers largely unbroken.

The walk was quiet and peaceful, and Inuyasha felt himself relaxing slightly under the warm weight on his back. It felt good to carry her again. It had been so long, and this felt like things were finally on the track back towards normalcy.

Even watching Sango and Miroku bicker and argue in front of him was something familiar and oddly comforting.

He snorted a laugh to himself. He must be royally fucked if that was a comfort to him. Seriously, just look at them. One minute they're fighting and Sango's threatening to kill him, and then the next, Miroku's intentionally pissing her off.

Because he liked that?

Why would he want to piss her off all the time? He only knows that he's going to get slapped for it. He didn't even get the attraction of trying to grope Sango's butt all the time.

His fingers flexed under the fleshy thighs of the girl currently sleeping on his back.

Okay, well, he kinda saw the attraction to it. But only Kagome! He didn't get the lecher running around all the time and flirting and all that. What was the appeal?

Kagome, though—

His body jolted under the sudden snap of a question that erupted in his head. It wasn't the question that made him react so violently, but the fact that the answer was so sudden and so concrete that there was simply no other option.

If he had the chance and opportunity, would he choose to be with Kagome?

The answer was so simple, but it still felt like the world had jerked out from underneath him.

Because, the answer was simply, yes.

Once they'd agreed to set up camp, it was only a matter of getting Kagome's sleeping bag laid out so he could gently let her lay on it.

Sango spread out the sleeping bag, smoothing it out so that he could gently slide her off his back and onto the ground before covering her up with Sango's blanket.

"I'll go find some firewood," he said, hand resting on her shoulder, looking up at Sango.

"Kirara and I will stay here then and finish setting up camp," she answered, rummaging through her bag and Kagome's. He turned and started off for the woods.

"I will help," Miroku offered, and Inuyasha scowled as sandaled feet came up behind him.

He didn't want to be teased or poked or prodded or insinuated about. He was already having a hard time getting over what happened earlier.

Because that was fucking new and terrifying and fucking great, which made literally zero fucking sense.

At least the monk knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Inuyasha leaned down, grabbing a thicker branch to add to his growing armful. He felt a little less like he was losing his fucking mind when it came to her. Before, everything had felt so agitated and restless, and it still did to some extent, but it was just—less now?

Inuyasha was not a man of words, and the few that he did know were actively failing him at the moment.

He picked up another stick as he moved on deeper and deeper into the trees and away from camp.

"So," Miroku drawled out, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the monk's stupid attempt to start conversation. "You and Kagome," he let the sentence dangle out there, like bait, and Inuyasha knew better than to take it. He knew better than to take anything from the monk when he was in this sort of mood.

Maybe he and Sango should have some time apart, if the monk was getting this confident.

He should also still probably check and make sure that Sango wasn't being blackmailed into marrying him.

He liked Sango.

Miroku let out a very loud and very obvious sigh.

Miroku was not currently residing in the 'liked' category.

"You really are no fun, you know that?" Miroku finally said.

"We're getting firewood. It's not supposed to be fun."

"Oh, good, we're talking! I thought you were ignoring me."

"I was," Inuyasha grumbled, but he know that if he didn't speak soon, the monk was going to start rambling, and he was in no mood to deal with that at the moment either.

"So, to recap," Miroku said, leaning down to snatch another twig from the ground and twirling it between his fingers. "You and Kagome, hmm?

"What about it?"

He knew that Sango and Miroku would probably be supportive if he ever had the guts to act on it.

"Nothing much," Miroku shrugged, picking up another stick to add to his pile. "Just thought you seemed like you were in a better mood. That's all."

Inuyasha stood upright, stopping his search for wood, and staring at the monk.

What was he getting at?

What did he mean by that at all?

Why did he care anyway?

"What of it?" Inuyasha asked, wary of the next words coming from Miroku's mouth.

"Nothing, just noticed the last few days you seem—better."

Inuyasha growled at the vagueness of his answer.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I just happened to see—and hear—a few things lately." Miroku gave him a slight shrug.

"Like what?" Inuyasha asked, already feeling an unease growing in his gut.

Miroku shrugged again, and Inuyasha growled in frustration.

"Like fucking what, Miroku?"

He turned to look at him, grinning that same smile he used on his marks.

"All I'm saying is that after spending a little alone time with Sango, I find myself in a better mood as well."

Letting loose a roaring snarl, Inuyasha slammed Miroku into the nearest tree, holding a fistful of his robes. The firewood scattered around them as Miroku's feet dangled just above the ground. Both of the monk's hands latched onto his forearm as his claws poked holes into the robes in his fist.

"Inuyasha, my friend," Miroku started, and Inuyasha smacked him back into the tree again, making the monk wince.

"You don't ever say anything like that around Kagome," his voice was low, menacing, a clear warning to the monk currently pressed to a tree.

"My friend, I swear, I meant nothing by it."

"Do you have any fucking clue how hard it's been for her?" His tone was harsh, and he tried desperately to keep it even keeled.

"I've seen it just as much as you have," Miroku countered in an even voice, almost accusatory in its tone.

In his frustration, he tossed the monk to the ground, releasing his robes.

"Well, clearly you haven't if you're saying shit like that!" He paced the small area between trees, as Miroku picked himself up, brushing off his robes of dirt and debris. "She's—" He flexed his fingers, balling his hands into fists before releasing them and repeating the process as he stalked back and forth between the trees. "She's just started to get better. I don't want her to—to go back."

"Neither do I, my friend," Miroku said, dusting himself off. "I apologize. My words were only meant in jest and taunt."

"You—you can't say shit like that in front of her."

"Agreed." Miroku began picking up the pile of sticks that littered the ground. "But you should also give Kagome some due. She's much stronger than you're giving her credit for."

"I never said that she was weak!" He snapped, and Miroku held up his free hand to ward off any further arguments.

"No, but you do treat her as though she were break at the slightest inconvenience."

"She's fragile!" He shouted. "She's—she's the most vulnerable out of all of us. You think Sango would've gone through everything she did? Sango knows how to fight. Kagome doesn't!" He caught sight of Miroku's disapproving glare, and he glowered back at him. "Don't give me that look! She is—and—and she deserves to be protected!"

"Kagome isn't Kikyo—"

"You think I don't fucking know that!" He roared, making Miroku take a step backwards. "I haven't seen her like that since I woke up from that damn sealing spell! You all give me shit for Kikyo all the damn fucking time, but you're the ones who keep fucking bringing it up, and I'm the one that gets blamed! Kagome is fucking Kagome! If I can figure that shit out, then you be able to fucking do so too." Inuyasha jabbed a clawed finger into the monk's chest.

"Perhaps we should finish collecting firewood and return to the camp," Miroku said after a moment.

"Smartest fucking thing you've said all day," he grumbled and motioned for the monk to lead the way.

Miroku turned and quietly walked back towards the campsite.

Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair, watching the monk's retreating form. Great. Just fucking great. This was exactly what he wanted.

Letting out a long frustrated growl, he set to picking up the rest of the wood they'd gathered before heading back, picking up what he could along the way.

He'd leapt up into his tree to maintain some sort of pretenses, so the monk wouldn't have anything to goad either of them about later, even though Inuyasha was pretty sure that he already knew.

This was all purely for Kagome's sake. He didn't really give a shit, except that it might upset her, and she'd only just started smiling freely, and he wanted it to continue. He always wanted to see her smile and laughing. So he'd do what he had to make sure she did.

He'd watched her set up her sleeping bag underneath the tree, like she was waiting for him to come down, and he would. Eventually.

She huffed loud enough that his human hearing would've been able to pick it up.

Looking down at her, he watched her shift in her sleeping bag.

The kit had opted to sleep with Sango again.

He leapt down, and she jumped a little before he stepped over her to claim is rightful place beside her. The moment that he'd sat down on the edge of her sleeping bag, she'd wrapped herself around him with a soft sigh. He hesitated for a moment before he ran his claws through her hair, and she relaxed, nearly limp, against his leg. He continued the movements long after she fell asleep.

He'd removed himself from her when the others had begun to show signs of waking. He made quick work of stirring the fire back to life to help prepare breakfast before disappearing to go find something for her—them to eat.

There were a couple rabbits nibbling at some weeds, and he made quick work of them before either was able to squeal off a warning.

"Sorry," he said before starting the process of gutting them and leaving the skin and offal for the other critters to consume. He took the carcasses back, splitting and spitting the meat to cook.

Miroku was the first to awake with a loud yawn with Sango following suit shortly thereafter.

Kagome woke—on her own nonetheless, something that hadn't happened since she'd started sleeping again—closer to breakfast.

He handed her a stick of meat, glancing at her as she ate it. She ate everything before tossing the stick into the fire. She licked her fingers, and Shippo was quick to offer her another half stick of meat, before looking at Inuyasha with an almost ecstatic look on his face. He kept glancing between Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Good job," Inuyasha said quietly, shooing him back towards his side of the fire as Shippo puffed his chest and darted over to Miroku's lap eagerly telling him what he did.

"Here, I can't eat all of this," Kagome said. "Take some of it or else it's going to go to waste."

She held the stick out to him, and he carefully cut off a bite with his claws, sticking it in his mouth. She smiled up at him, and he marveled at it for a moment before he looked away.

Together, they finished off the spit, and Kagome tossed it into the fire as Shippo came to sit in her lap.

Today was a good day. Kagome seemed more like herself than before, and for the first time since they'd left the village, Inuyasha conceded that leaving had done her some good.

They still moved slower than before, but she was keeping pace, and he hadn't noticed her limping or attempting to hide any aches from them. If anything, she appeared to be gaining her strength and endurance back, not to mention her appetite.

This, in turn, made Inuyasha feel less like a manic mother hen. She was happy, so in a way, he was too.

She'd been smiling almost non-stop since breakfast, and sometimes he stared at her just to marvel in the sheer magnitude of her existence.

That is, until she called him on it.

"What?" She asked. "Is there something on my face?" Her hand rose, but he reacted before a singular thought could cross his tiny little hanyou brain, grabbing it and placing it back down at her side.

"There's nothing wrong with your face."

"Oh, you were just staring, and—"

Shit. Fuck. Shit-fuck! Why couldn't he just keep his eyes to himself like a fucking normal person? No, instead he had to fucking gawk at her like the fucking pervert! Shit! Shit! What did he say to that?

What? No, I wasn't staring at your ridiculously beautiful face? Like that sort of bullshit was going to work—

Her fingers laced with his, and all coherent thought drifted off into what he was sure were words, but they didn't make any sense, and he didn't care.

It took his brain a moment longer than it should have for him to tighten the grip, fingers curling around her hand as they walked, and for the first time in a very long while, Inuyasha was going to chalk this one up to his very few tally marks he had in the "Good Day" column.

His thumb began a leisurely track across her knuckles, realizing that he hadn't had to stop her from tearing her fingers bloody at all, and while she hadn't clung to him like she normally did—he would not admit to missing it—she had been playing with Shippo as they walked, making silly—and adorable—faces with Shippo who rode on the monk's shoulder.

And for a brief moment, he let himself imagine a silver haired child with Kagome's face.

Her head snapped suddenly to the front, and he was already pulling her behind him, ready to draw his sword.

"What?" He asked, eyes darting through the trees.

"Shard," she whispered, starting to step forward, but he shifted in front of her, preventing her from moving any closer.

"Where?" He was not going to be caught unawares, but he didn't smell anything, and there was nothing that sounded like a demon with a shard.

It was just quiet.

"What's happening?" Sango spoke softly, sidling up next to him as she shrugged Hiraikotsu off her shoulder, holding it at the ready.

"I'm not entirely sure. It's a kind of a blur," she murmured, staring out at the road ahead.

"A shard is somewhere nearby," he explained, and Sango's eyes widened briefly before she nodded her understanding.

He watched her face, as something dawned on her before her brow scrunched down in thought. He drew Tetsusaiga, holding it out in front of him.

"Kagome? What is it?"

"I thought—" she started, before the sentence drifted off, and that was fine because he knew the answer as soon as the smell of wolf drifted in on the changing direction of the winds. "Kouga."

The wolf stopped a few paces from the group, but something was off—wrong—with him. He looked at each of them, staring, scanning them for information or looking for something in particular.

When his eyes alighted on Kagome, he moved faster than Inuyasha could keep track of.

How did he gain that much speed that quickly?

And then a fist was in his face, claws tearing at his throat and chest, sending him soaring backwards into the trees, he was distinctly aware of Tetsusaiga falling free of his fingers, and the sound and feel of wood splintering underneath his momentum and weight.

He gurgled blood in his throat before rolling onto his side to try and clear his airway. A hand felt where the claws had gouged out most of the flesh.

Fuck.

Wolf-shit could move.

Fuck, he needed to get back. There was no way they'd be able to do anything or stop him.

His body shook as he pushed it to stand, dragging himself up by his claws with one hand trying to hold his throat together.

Blood ran down his chest and shoulders, as he hurried back, legs shaking and his vision fading in and out, presumably from blood loss and sheer trauma.

He tried to shout, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper.

Making it back to the roadway, Inuyasha stared at the monk and the slayer, who were already mounting up on the fire cat.

No sign of Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" The monk shouted.

"We're going after Kouga!"

"Here," the monk said, holding out the rusted sword to him.

Inuyasha merely stared.

"Inuyasha, take it. Take Tetsusaiga."

He should take it. He should. He knew that. Deep down somewhere, he knew that not taking it wasn't the best choice.

But someone had taken something that was his.

He didn't need the sword to protect him. He didn't need the sword to protect what was his.

He would be faster without the weight.

His claws were sharp and long enough as it was. He didn't need anything else.

"Inuyasha, I need you to take the sword."

He didn't need it.

It would only slow him down.

He turned away, and his legs carried him down the same path the wolf took. His scent intermingled with hers, and it made every hair on his body bristle.

He would find her, and then he would waste the wolf. Tear him to shreds and leave the remnants for the scavengers and his clan to find.

His claws itched for the bloodshed, and the trees blurred beside him as he ran.

He alone would be enough to reclaim what was his.

Blood and death were waiting for him.

And the female that belonged to no one else but himself.

Blood and death.

Blood.

Death.

And destruction.

All of it at his hands.

A/N: So we're nearing finals time, and I'm just so excited, but at the same time, I'm really going to miss my seniors. Some of them I've had for two years now, and they're just such great kids. They gave us our tentative teaching schedules, and they're transitioning me to all seniors next year, which is cool, because I'll have a lot of my kids twice, but at the same time-I'll have some of my kids twice. Double-edged sword. Not to mention I get a new teaching partner, because mine is moving to Freshman.

So anyway, I hope that you guys liked this chapter, I know that it kind of back tracked a little, but I thought that it was necessary to see Inuyasha's turn of events, especially since-you know-the ending there, which I also hope made sense.

As always, let me know what you guys think. And don't forget to vote at the FeudalConnection, which ends tonight! Here's a link (take out the spaces): docs. google forms / d /e / 1FAIpQLSdswMK2BzCL5RPMI4mGStnVY90Jua5y9aq08bo-Vv0TgpaNzw/ viewform?usp=sf_link