[Edits implemented Feb 28, 2025]

Chapter 17: The Man Who Fell in Love with Kagome / He's Just Not Worth It, Daitan

The massive flock of bird youkai had finally begun to thin out from the combined efforts of Inuyasha, Sango, Kirara, and Daitan. Stray feathers and blood littered the ground, and Daitan heard Inuyasha growl at Miroku after cutting down yet another bird. The monk had sat himself on a nearby boulder a few minutes before, looking thoughtful.

"Miroku, show some effort, would you? Get off your ass!" snapped Inuyasha.

"Can't you at least use the Wind Tunnel against all these birds?" Daitan added, raising an eyebrow at Miroku.

The monk stroked his chin in contemplation and took a moment to reply.

"Inuyasha, I think you should let one of the birds capture you. If this is the birds' hunting grounds, there should be the bones of their prey littered everywhere. But there's no sign whatsoever of wolf bones."

"So you're saying that the birds and the wolves are allies?" asked Sango. Daitan turned to look at their surroundings. Sure enough, she couldn't see any wolf bones at all. And Kouga had flung her directly into the grip of one of the bird youkai earlier—

Daitan's train of thought cut off as the faintest whisper of a scent carried over to her on the breeze. Her nose twitched, and she turned her head to catch it again. It was a little stronger now, and her eyes widened.

"I smell Shippo!" she announced, crossing over to stand at the edge of the cliff. The others abruptly stopped bickering.

"Are you sure?" asked Miroku. Daitan nodded.

"Absolutely. But I don't know when it'll fade again — you guys should still use the birds; I'll go get Shippo!"

And with that, she stepped off the side of the cliff, sliding down the steep face before her feet hit flatter ground hard. Despite a long day of fighting wolves, Kouga, and bird youkai, Daitan was still able to keep a quick pace as she followed Shippo's scent on the wind. Her heart leapt as it steadily got stronger, and soon enough, she could hear the sound of tiny footsteps pattering on stone.

"Shippo!" called Daitan. She rounded a large boulder on the path, and almost ran straight into the little kitsune. Shippo squealed and skidded to a halt.

"Daitan!" he didn't hesitate to leap into Daitan's arms, burying his face in her neck. Daitan held his small body tight to her chest, relief washing over her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, anxiously checking for any broken bones. She couldn't smell any blood, but she had to be sure. Shippo nodded against her neck, his little hands tightening their grip on her shirt. He began to tremble.

"Kagome is still with them, she made sure I got away!"

"Were you followed at all?"

Shippo shook his head.

"No, they just wanted Kagome. That guy Kouga called her 'his woman' or something!"

"He said what…?" Daitan's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Nevermind. We should find the others, they were going to bait the birds into catching Inuyasha so they could take us back to the wolf den. Or that's the working theory, at least."

Shippo shook his head vigorously.

"But they wouldn't do that, the Wolf Tribe and the Birds of Paradise are bitter enemies! See all the wolf bones down below?" Shippo pointed over the edge of the cliff, still in Daitan's arms. She leaned forward to get a better look. Sure enough, hundreds of wolf skeletons littered the bottom of the ravine.

"...Ah."

It was at that moment that a 'Bird of Paradise,' as Shippo called it, swooped overhead, holding Inuyasha in its talons. Sango and Miroku followed close behind on Kirara's back, and Daitan waved up at them.

"Hey!" she shouted up to them. "This is a dead end, Shippo just said that the wolves and birds aren't allies — quite the opposite, in fact!"

From the bird's talons, Inuyasha groaned loudly, and Daitan could almost feel the force of his eye roll from down below.

—-

The scent of wolves and blood was getting stronger by the minute. Daitan's heart pounded in her chest as she raced along the ground to find Kagome, Shippo clinging onto her shoulder and Kirara carrying Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha on her back. The mountain ahead loomed over them, large rocks falling to the base as an enormous bird youkai erupted from close to the peak. It was then that Daitan and Inuyasha caught a familiar scent.
"Kagome's just up ahead!" shouted Inuyasha. He and Daitan picked up the pace, and soon after reached the top of a ridge that overlooked a grisly sight.

Corpses of both wolf and bird youkai littered the battlefield, their blood moistening the dry dusty ground beneath them. The few remaining wolf youkai huddled together, holding out their polearms to defend against the hostile birds, and in the middle of it all was—

"Kagome!" cried Inuyasha, brandishing the Tessaiga. His Wind Scar cleaved several birds in half all at once, and Daitan immediately rushed to Kagome's side. Her eyes frantically scanned over Kagome's frame, looking for any signs of injury.

"Are you hurt at all? Did they — woah!" exclaimed Daitan as Kagome flew right past her to catch Inuyasha in a relieved embrace.

"Inuyasha, Daitan, I'm so glad you're here, I was so scared!" The slightest bit of pink illuminated Inuyasha's cheeks, and Daitan raised an eyebrow. He stuck his tongue out at her in return. Out of the corner of her eye, Daitan spotted Kirara touch down, and Kagome ran to greet them as well. Never one to waste time however, Sango got straight to the point.

"Kagome, what's going on here?"

Taking Shippo into her arms, Kagome's smile faded fast as turned to look back out at the battlefield.

"We're in the middle of an all-out war between the Wolf Tribe and the Birds of Paradise. We have to stop those flying things somehow!"

Daitan tilted her head, golden eyes narrowed.

"So we're on the side of the wolves now? Did you forget that they kidnapped you, Kagome? Or that they most likely knowingly brought you into even more danger? They're our enemies!"

"They only needed me to see the jewel shard that the leader of the Birds of Paradise was carrying, and that's it! They've been pretty good to me otherwise!" Kagome snapped back. Before Daitan had the chance to reply, Miroku slid down from Kirara's back and started to unwrap the prayer beads from around his hand.

"We don't have time for this, you two! Either way, it'll still mean fewer enemies for us to fight in the long run," he said, stepping forward. "Now, if you value your lives, stand back!"

The Birds of Paradise scrambled in midair, attempting to fly away from Miroku's Wind Tunnel, but their attempts were, in the end, fruitless. Finally, the sky was clear but for a few feathers floating on the breeze. The wolf youkai gasped with astonishment, the grips they had on their weapons slackening as they gazed up in wonder. Daitan, however, worked her jaw with frustration, and Kagome turned to her with a little smile.

"Don't worry, Daitan, I don't think they'll be our enemies for too much longer." she said, with just a tinge of smugness.

"Maybe so. But we've done our part, let's just get the jewel shard and they can clean up the rest of their mess on their own."

Kagome's shoulders dropped, and she stared Daitan down with a scowl. The hairs on the back of Daitan's neck prickled at Kagome's sudden change in demeanor.

"Why are you being such a jerk? A little kick to your pride and you'll let innocent people get hurt or killed? It's Kouga you have a problem with, not the rest of the wolf youkai! And is it really worth it to act like this just because of some petty insults?" she said coldly. The urge to bare her fangs was tremendous, but Daitan managed to beat it down and just glared at Kagome in silence instead, jaw clenched. But instead of looking away, Kagome met her with a steady gaze and didn't back down. Daitan finally huffed a sigh and looked away. Before she had much time to calm herself, however, a voice echoed down from the mountain. An annoyingly, irritatingly familiar voice.

"Ugh, you again?!" groaned Kouga. He stood on an outcropping a little ways up the mountain with a hand on his hip. "I don't have time for dog training today, so I'll let you escape — go on, little puppies, get outta here!"

A low growl built in Daitan's throat, and Inuyasha stepped forward.

"Shut up! Dream on, wolf — you're gonna pay for kidnapping Kagome!" he shouted. Kouga narrowed his eyes down at Inuyasha, his lip curling in a sneer.

"Hey dog breath! Take this chance to run, but keep your hands off my woman, got it?!"

Daitan blinked. Several times. As Inuyasha and Kouga continued to trade insults, everyone else looked over at Kagome, who wore an expression Daitan could only describe as looking as if she had suddenly smelled something very unpleasant. Kagome's face turned very red with embarrassment and she floundered to give them an explanation.

"Look, there's nothing going on, okay?! It's wishful thinking, he's making it up!" Kagome squeaked. Most of the frustration with her friend washed out of Daitan as she tilted her head, incredulous.

"Just what happened in the few hours you were gone…?"

"Ugh, this guy's living in a fantasy! What a fleabag!" spat Inuyasha. Kouga, however, remained undeterred.

"It's not a fantasy, I've claimed her as mine! I'm in love with you, Kagome! You're far better off with me and you know it — it's time to make a clean break and give up that pathetic mutt-face! He's not good enough for you! Forget about him, I'm gonna kill him someday anyway. Once you've been with a real warrior like me, you'll never go back to scraps again!"

A strangled noise escaped from Kagome's mouth as she stared, disbelieving, at Kouga. But Daitan was starting to get sick of the sound of Kouga's voice, much less the crap he was spewing out his mouth.

"After only one day, are you out of your mind?! Not to mention that you literally kidnapped her!" she snarled.

"Kagome's her own damn person, you hear?! She's not your property!" Inuyasha immediately leapt into action, chasing Kouga up the mountain, and Daitan wasn't far behind. She Dashed her way up the mountain, steadily gaining on Kouga, who glanced back and huffed.

"Ugh, I told you I'm busy! Go play fetch somewhere else!"

Suddenly, Kagome's voice rang out from below.

"Kouga, it's about another fifty feet up!"

Daitan paused and glanced back down at Kagome. Worry glinted in Kagome's big brown eyes, and Daitan's brow furrowed. She helped him? And she was awfully defensive of the wolves before… She didn't have much time to ruminate anymore, however, as something swooped down from the clouds and smashed into the side of the mountain where Kouga stood. It was the largest Bird of Paradise that Daitan had seen so far, at least twice as big as the others that she had fought, and instead of one humanoid torso sticking out of its back, it had two.

Kouga hadn't reappeared to zip out of danger, even as the dust cleared, and when the enormous Bird of Paradise soared higher into the sky, Daitan spotted him dangling from its jaws, caught by one arm between its teeth. He struggled and kicked in a few of the bird youkai's sharp pointed teeth, ripping his arm away to his freedom. However, as he fell back to the ground, the Bird of Paradise caught him by the legs. Kouga was utterly immobile.

…Fine. But I'll make him sweat a little first.

With a hot bitter grain of reluctance smoldering in her chest, Daitan used one last Dash to get as far up the mountain as she could and summoned her light whip to grapple onto the Bird of Paradise's huge feathery body. It started to thrash and screech in midair as she pulled herself up to Kouga's level, and Daitan held tight as it started to dip and dive to get her to let go, unable to reach her with its other talon. Below, Daitan could see that Inuyasha had reached the peak of the mountain, Tessaiga at the ready, but unable to act while Daitan and Kouga were in the way. The wolf's eyes were shut tight, but snapped wide open when Daitan started talking.

"Hmm… you seem to be in a bit of a bind, wolf." she said conversationally. Kouga struggled harder, punching and scratching uselessly at the Bird of Paradise's talon.

"Shut up and free me, you stupid pup!" He growled. Daitan just tapped her chin, pretending to think about it.

"See, I would, if you didn't just call me a stupid pup. You could at least use my name."

"Fine, what's your name?!" Kouga's voice pitched up suddenly, panic starting to overtake him. But Daitan only let out a few mock disappointed 'tsk's and shook her head slowly.

"Throwing such insults at me and you don't even know my name… how disappointing," she looked back at the panicking wolf. "It's Daitan. Say 'Please help me, Daitan.'" Kouga didn't waste a moment before stammering out.

"Please help me, Daitan!"

Daitan's grin was more a baring of teeth, and in the next moment, the Bird of Paradise's talon entrapping Kouga fell lifeless through the air, only a bright white glint in place of Daitan's sword. She launched herself forward and caught Kouga around the waist. As they fell, the Bird of Paradise screeched with pain and fury, diving down towards them.

"You'll pay for that, dog!" It cried, its gigantic mouth glowing as youki swelled around it.

Daitan had to act fast. Reaching out below her to the mountain peak, she grappled with her light whip and pulled as hard as she could. The beam of light that erupted from the Bird of Paradise's mouth scorched the air above them and Daitan and Kouga hit the ground hard. They rolled a little ways away from each other, and Daitan heard Inuyasha scoff.

"Just watch and take notes, wolf. I'll show you a little taste of what real power is!"

The Bird of Paradise prepared to fire another beam, its youki clashing with Inuyasha's, and Inuyasha took his chance. With one swing of the Tessaiga, the earth-shattering Wind Scar ripped through the air. Kouga sat in the dirt, dumbfounded as he watched the Bird of Paradise scream as it was utterly obliterated, and Inuyasha just sniffed and swaggered off to return down the mountain.

Daitan chuckled as she got to her feet, wincing when her shoulder twinged. She had landed on her side when they hit the ground. She stood over Kouga, who leveled a wary gaze at her. She sighed and put a hand on her hip.

"Truce?" she offered. Kouga narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

"Fine. Just don't expect us to be best friends all of a sudden, and especially not with that mutt-face." he scoffed. Daitan's lips tightened at the corners.

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

Daitan helped Kouga down the mountain with only minimal griping from the wolf. The last Bird of Paradise seemed to have done more damage than she thought to his legs with its shard-enhanced strength. At last, they reached the bottom, meeting up with the wolf youkai and the rest of the team. Inuyasha stood proud in front of Miroku, hands on his hips and soaking in the attention from having successfully mastered the Wind Scar. Several members of the Wolf Tribe immediately rushed to Kouga's side and took him from Daitan's shoulder, muttering worriedly. Daitan shook her head sharply, trying to get Kouga's scent out of her nostrils. She'd had enough of the scent of wolves for the next week.

Kagome appeared at Kouga's side in an instant, already pulling out her first aid kit, and when Inuyasha started yelling at the care she was showing to 'the enemy,' Daitan took several steps away. She stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the mountain range.

In the long run, it was probably a good thing that Kagome had gained some favor with the Wolf Tribe. Having more allies couldn't hurt, and Kouga might be more willing to give up his jewel shards if Kagome stayed in his good graces. Despite what Daitan thought about relying on the power of the shards, the fact was that both she and Inuyasha were unable to keep up with him. Defeating him in a fight would be no easy task, not as she was now. As weak as she was for her age. What a disapp—

Daitan was snapped out of her thoughts when a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. There stood Kagome, a warm smile adorning her face.

"Thank you." she said simply. Daitan lifted an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Listening to me."

—-

They decided to camp on top of the mountain that night. When dawn came, Daitan awoke feeling more refreshed. Kagome and Shippo were safe, three more jewel shards were collected, and Daitan's remaining vitriol towards Kouga had simmered down greatly since she didn't have to see his face or hear his voice again anytime soon. But the peaceful morning didn't last forever. As Sango and Miroku packed up the rest of their things, the familiar sounds of Inuyasha and Kagome's heated bickering reached dangerous volumes, and Daitan sighed heavily. Some annoying things I'll never escape from, it seems.

"Sango, can I borrow Kirara?" asked Kagome with carefully measured sweetness. Sango glanced at the small cat youkai on her shoulder.

"Uhh… sure?"

"Oh look, Kagome's off to see her wolf boyfriend already!" huffed Inuyasha. Kagome's face had turned so red with rage that it looked as if she could breathe fire at any moment.

"I'm going back home, stupid! You're such a jerk!" she shouted in Inuyasha's face. Everyone waited with baited breath for what came next. Kagome turned abruptly to Daitan as Kirara grew to her larger form beside her. "Are you coming with me?"

Daitan paused. She had been in the Feudal Era for a while now. Maybe it was about time. Her dad would be glad to see her again. And from the look on Kagome's face, it seemed like she needed some R&R and a friend to vent to. Daitan nodded, hopping up behind Kagome on Kirara's back. Even as Kirara took to the air and left the convergence of most of Kagome's issues to shrink into a smaller and smaller red and white dot, Daitan could still hear her muttering under her breath.

"Hey, Kagome?"

Kagome tilted her head to look back at Daitan.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk," Daitan couldn't bring herself to meet Kagome's eye. "I thought I was doing what was best for our little group, but I guess it just got all muddled with my own problems…"

A smile grew across Kagome's face.

"Hey, we all have our off days. And you saved Kouga, didn't you? I'd say that more than makes up for any of that jerkiness from earlier in my book."

Daitan felt a warm lightness filling up her chest.

"Well, I could tell that he was important to you, and who knows? He could be a valuable ally in the future," Daitan paused for a few seconds before she shot Kagome a cheeky grin. "You're so lucky, Kagome, all these men falling all over you!"

Kagome's face turned bright red, and after giving Daitan a few chiding smacks on the shoulder, they were both laughing freely into the bright morning air.

A/N: Bet you thought I abandoned this, didn't you? I'm glad to be back, though reading through some parts of the earlier chapters make me cringe a bit (that was a few years ago now... can't believe it 0.o) so I might go and edit some things.

Bit of a shorter chapter, but I'll admit these last two haven't really been my favorite... although I will say they opened up a chance for some character work that I wasn't entirely planning. Daitan's ego usually isn't super fragile, but really the only things she gets super offended about is when someone calls her on things that she already doesn't like about herself.

In other news, I've been putting off this fic... in favor of another one. And many others that are just ideas or not even a full chapter yet. Basically I'm a mess. However, I am planning on putting this on AO3 at some point, I just have to find the time, and I think I'll change the summary. And edit some previous chapters. Like I said, there are a few things in the early chapters that make me cringe a bit. Hopefully it'll just be some tweaking.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter, and you probably won't have to wait over a year this time!