Trinity Blood Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows of Time ❯ Chapter 15

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Shadows of Time

Author: Ryukotsusei

Fandom: Inuyasha and Trinity Blood

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Violence, torture, character death, language, lemons, spoilers for the entire series just to be safe, and the possibility of out of character characterizations. Read at your own risk.

Pairings: Tres Iqus x Kagome Higurashi x Abel Nightroad

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Trinity Blood. The series belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and the late Sunao Yoshido. I make no money off of this fan fiction.

Author's Note: I know this chapter is being posted later than I anticipated, but my beta has been exceptionally busy as of late. So while she's dealing with real life, I asked my good friend BlueUtopiah to beta this chapter. Many thanks to her for taking time out to look this one over for me. I can't promise that the next chapter will be up on schedule since I'm terrible about betaing my own work, but I'll do my best.

Chapter Fifteen

“Oh, this is heaven,” Kagome said, her voice laced with contentment. The hot water was the perfect depth, covering her shoulders, but not any higher which would give her concern over getting her hair wet.

It had been a hard day's travel and even though Inuyasha had asked her more than once if she wanted to take a break, she'd pushed on despite the weariness she'd felt. They'd already lost far too much time waiting on her recovery and she didn't want to give Naraku any more time to scheme if she could help it.

So the relief she'd felt when Inuyasha had not only found a suitable campsite, but one with a hot spring had been immense and she'd wasted no time in collecting her bathing materials. It was too bad that Sango had declined the chance to join her; it would have been nice to have someone to talk to. However, the older woman was still upset over the argument that had happened nearly a week ago.

Of course, she really couldn't blame the woman for being angry to a certain extent. What was happening between her and the two priests was hardly conventional and Sango had been scandalized that she'd accept such a thing. Times were far different here and although her friend was more liberal than most she still believed that Kagome would need to conform to proper standards, especially when one considered the fact that she wasn't returning home to her own time. More than once the slayer had hinted at the fact that sooner or later she was going to have to make a choice and Kagome had borne the brunt of it as much as she could. Eventually though, even her supply of tolerance had worn out much to her friend's surprise.

Unfortunately, when that moment had come everyone happened to be close by when she'd told her friend that while she appreciated her concern, it was her life and if Sango didn't like it she could keep her opinions to herself and butt out. It wasn't long after that that Kagome had begun to regret speaking so harshly to the woman, but there was little she could do about it now. Sooner or later her friend would come around; it was just a matter of time.

That was, of course, if nothing else happened to add fuel to the fire. Inuyasha had certainly contributed his part when he'd snorted and said that it was about damned time she put her foot down. While it had certainly made things worse, Kagome couldn't exactly bring herself to disagree with him. The thinly veiled looks of disgust directed towards Tres and Abel were only going to be tolerated for so long before one of them reacted. While, to a large extent, the Crusnik was a pacifist even he had a breaking point and Kagome really didn't want to see him reach it on her friend. 'I hope she decides to let thisgo soon. It isn't like it's her life.'

Speaking of a certain silver-haired priest, she knew that he was lurking nearby even if he hadn't said anything about following her. It had been something she'd gotten rather used to, although it was at times annoying to have a constant shadow.'If it's not him, it's Tres. Hopefully once Naraku's dead they'll start to relax some.'

However, she knew just how likely that was and the knowledge had her sighing in resignation. The attention was sweet and even nice most of the time but it could get a bit overbearing, such as right now while she was trying to enjoy her bath.

“You know, if you're going to stand guard you might as well come over here and talk to me while you're doing it,” Kagome called out, knowing that he could hear her easily.

Father Nightroad coughed behind his hand and shook his head. “I don't think that would be wise, Kagome.”

While he was certain that the conversation would be nice, and the view even nicer, there was only so much temptation that he could take. The one time in the forest had been the only time they'd been intimate together, yet that once instance plagued his dreams not to mention his waking moments. More than once he'd caught himself contemplating the idea of dragging her off for some alone time, however; he somehow managed to restrain himself. To sit there and watch her bathe was far too much to willingly put himself through. Even though he'd remained celibate for centuries it didn't mean that his desires were nonexistent.

And he was slightly surprised by the fact that Tres had yet to make a move on her, even though he knew the redhead wanted to. For now he would be patient and allow his partner the time he needed to approach the girl. Until then he would watch and wait, biding his time until he could take possession of her once more.

Oblivious to the thoughts pervading the Crusnik's mind, Kagome looked back over her shoulder and raised a brow, “We're not going back to this are we? It's not like you haven't seen me naked before, remember?”

'So help me, if he is I'm going to march over there and drag him into the water with me, clothes and all!' The thought had her giggling in amusement.'I wonder what it would take to get Tres to help me out.'

“That's not the point,” Father Nightroad said, leaning back against the tree behind him. “Inuyasha was quite adamant about staying alert out here and I think it would be wise to heed the warning.”

In fact, the hanyou had given him a look that promised pain if anything should happen to her while he stood watch. More than once Inuyasha had remarked that the lands they were traveling through were known for being home to roving bandits and raiders, the likes of which would see a girl like Kagome and take great pleasure in harassing her... or worse.

“And you can't be vigilant if you're sitting next to me?” Kagome asked, rolling her eyes over the absurdity of the question. “You're no fun.”

“I can't help it if you're too much of a temptation,” Father Nightroad replied with a laugh and returned to scanning the surrounding area. All was silent for a few more seconds but when Tres caught his attention by gazing towards the pool with a raised eyebrow, he knew Kagome was up to something.

Quickly he turned to look in her direction and, to his surprise, his eyes were immediately drawn to the miko stalking towards him with a towel wrapped around her body and a determined look on her face. “Kagome? What do you think you're doing?”

“Who me? Nothing at all,” she said with a grin and continued to advance on him. When she reached the Crusnik she took a solid grip on his jacket and looked over to Tres. “Wanna give me a hand? Abel looks a bit... hot underneath all this clothing. I think he needs to go for a swim and cool down some.”

“You can't be serious,” Father Nightroad protested with a laugh and swatted at her hands which had begun pulling at him insistently. There was no way that the woman could hope to move him but if she somehow managed to enlist Tres' help, it was a new ballgame. No, he really didn't want to have to walk around in damp clothing for the rest of the day.

Tres looked at her curiously and then glanced at Father Nightroad who was shaking his head rather vigorously. “The water temperature of the spring greatly exceeds the current air temperature which defeats the purpose of cooling him down.” Of course, he knew that wasn't quite what she meant but he really didn't want to have to listen to the Crusnik bemoan the fact that his clothing was wet for no good reason. However, if it had been up to him, he would have dealt with the consequences of entering the water with her. No doubt the reward for doing so would have been more than worth it.

“I swear, you two just aren't any fun today,” Kagome said with a pout and then sighed, “And here I walked all this way for nothing. That's gratitude for you.”

“Heaven forbid,” Father Nightroad said with an expression of mock dismay, “How could I ever have been so thoughtless? Here, let me make it up to you, my lady.”

The way he'd spoken surprised Kagome for a moment while she pondered just what he meant by making it up to her. Unfortunately realization of just what he was planning came an instant too late, just when he'd managed to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder.

“Wait! What do you think you're doing? Put me down!” Kagome shrieked from her awkward position, dangling helplessly with only his hand to hold her steady. The look of amusement she could see on Tres' face certainly wasn't helping matters either and when she scowled at him, his smirk only seemed to widen. “Dammit, I said put me down!”

“As you wish, my dear,” Father Nightroad said with a grin, just as he reached the edge of the springs and prepared to give her what she had asked for.

“No, not like that! Don't you dare, you...” Kagome started, her voice growing with intensity when he began to haul her off his shoulder. She never got to finish the sentence however because of the way he casually dropped her into the water. Her shriek of indignation filled the air moments before she went under and a heartbeat later she came up sputtering, “You jerk! Just wait `til I get my hands on you!”

As if it wasn't bad enough that her only towel was soaked, her hair was as well. 'It's going to take forever to dry now. Ohhhh he's going to pay for that!' Carefully she climbed out of the pool a second time, clutching at the waterlogged towel so that it didn't fall to the ground. 'He's so going down!'

With her thoughts hell-bent on revenge, Kagome began stalking towards him menacingly, seething when he chuckled at her audacity. 'I'll show him. If I have to go with wet hair half the night, then he should too!' Water dripped down her body in thin rivulets from the towel which she fully intended to whip off and toss over his head, just before she booted him headfirst into the hot springs.

However she didn't get more than a few feet before she was hauled off the ground a second time and her eyes went wide with shock. “What in the hell!”

“Release her now!” Tres demanded coldly and drew his guns on the two strangers that had appeared in their midst. However, before he could sight it on them, a wolf launched itself at his arm and he was forced to take evasive action to avoid receiving a nasty bite.

“Ginta, get her the hell out of here, now,” Kouga shouted to his pack mate and turned his attention to the two men his wolves were distracting. Angrily, he cracked his knuckles and prepared to beat some ass. “Looks like it's my lucky day, two for the price of one.”

The shriek that followed from Kagome had Tres springing into action, quick to stop the strange demon from abducting the miko. The Crusnik, however, stood frozen for several long moments while memories that he'd tried to forget assaulted his mind. The scent of blood tickled his senses and held him in thrall, helpless against the visions he was being forced to endure. 'Not again, oh please, not again.' The thought raced through his mind but his pleas went ignored as he was forced to remember how Cain had lifted Lilith's severed head into his view, smiling almost gently as he spoke of how he'd removed her from the equation. It brought back the sickening reality that the woman he had loved had been taken from him and it seemed to be destined to happen yet again.

“No!” Father Nightroad screamed in negation and clutched at his hair, trying to banish the images from his mind. It was too late to save Lilith but Kagome was still alive and he could feel her fear and anger surging through their bond. He would not allow the past to repeat itself and to that end he moved into action.

“Hurry, Tres,” he shouted, although he knew the man would do everything in his power to save the miko. He would stand his ground here and stop the dark-haired demon in front of him. Whatever plans they had for Kagome, he wouldn't allow them to carry them out. Whoever this person was who thought they could take Kagome from them was courting a swift death and he'd be happy to grant them that release. “Nanomachine Crusnik 02, power output sixty percent, activate.”

The shouted order was unnecessary since Tres was already following the demon that had made off with the miko. Although they were moving quickly, he knew that he could easily catch them and if he had a clean shot for a kill he wasn't about to hesitate in taking it. More than once the four-legged beasts thought to get in his way but he dispatched them quickly, leaving their corpses along the path to be devoured by scavengers later.

Rage and fear battered at his mind from two different sources, spurring him on to greater speeds. Kagome was positively terrified and he wasn't about to let the demon get away with harming her. Although it was difficult, he trained the laser sighting on the back of the demon's head and took careful aim before squeezing off a round. However, the bullet was dodged at the last instant, sparing the other man's life at least for the time being.

“Dammit, Ginta! Put me down!” Kagome growled and pushed at the wolf demon's shoulders. Things were getting rapidly out of hand and someone was going to get killed if she didn't put a stop to it soon. The blood lust pouring through the bond was almost enough to daze her and she knew it was only going to get worse.

“No can do, Sis. Don't worry, Kouga will take care of the one,” Ginta said, picking up speed. “This other guy will lose interest soon.” Or so he'd hoped anyway. If not, then Kouga would be able to take care of him once he got rid of the other man who'd been harassing the miko. Now he was glad that Kouga had decided they needed to pay the group a visit. There was no telling what would have happened to Kagome otherwise.

“Like hell he will,” Kagome retorted and began squirming in his grasp. This was one time she was glad that she was still wet because, if nothing else, it made his grip on her tenuous at best. Unfortunately, she soon learned just how painful it was to land on the hard ground, especially when a wolf demon in armor happened to sprawl on top of you. “Oh God, get off of me,” she moaned, feeling like she'd just been run over by a truck.

Seeing the man on top of Kagome only served to further Tres' irritation. “Remove yourself from her personage now,” he ordered coldly, sighting his gun on the back of the demon's head. The moment that he had a clear shot he fully intended on taking it, all he needed was the male to move just another couple of inches.

“Don't do it, Tres!” Kagome gasped, sitting up when the weight was removed from her chest. The cold anger in the redhead's eyes told her that he fully intended on eliminating the target and she couldn't let that happen. Ginta was a lot of things but an enemy wasn't one of them.

The plea was enough to stay his hand for a moment but that didn't mean it would stop it forever. “Status report, Kagome,” he said, never taking his eyes off of his target. He'd seen how hard they'd both went down and he wasn't looking forward to hearing the list of injuries with how rocky the ground was.

“I'm fine, just don't shoot him,” Kagome said and moved in between the two of them knowing that Tres wouldn't fire with her in the way. “He's... one of our friends.” She could see the skepticism in the priest's eyes but at least he'd lowered the gun. That gave her enough breathing room to look at Ginta in irritation. “What the hell were you thinking? Haven't you two learned by now that you just don't kidnap people?”

“But we heard you screaming and thought you were in trouble,” Ginta said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. He'd seen Kagome irate before and it looked like she was well on her way towards one of her infamous tirades. “I guess... we were wrong?”

“You're damned right you were wrong. You could have gotten killed!” Kagome shouted at him, her anger coming full force now that the danger had passed. “So help me, the next person who thinks it's a good idea to kidnap me is going to get a subjugation necklace like Inuyasha's!”

“But with all the trouble that's been happening, we were worried,” Ginta said, cringing when she seemed to stare straight through him. He could almost see the flames of hell coming to claim him, if not by her hand then by the tall redhead standing behind her. That reminded him, Kouga was off fighting the other man and there was no one to tell him that Kagome had never been in any real danger. “Umm,” he began nervously, “We should go stop Kouga... before things really get out of hand.”

“As if they weren't already,” Kagome muttered and made a couple of quick adjustments to her towel to make sure it was firmly in place. “Come on, we need to hurry.” Thankfully they hadn't traveled all that far, but the terrain that Kagome had to cross barefoot had her cursing until Tres picked her up. This time she didn't complain because she knew they would make far better time if they didn't have to wait on her.

Still, it seemed to be taking forever to get back to the hot springs but she couldn't yell at Tres to run faster. 'At this rate it'll be over by the time we get there. Dammit, I hope that Inuyasha's figured out what's going on. If anyone else can stop them, it'll be him.'

Fortunately for all involved, Inuyasha had felt it the instant that Father Nightroad had activated the nanomachines. The energy spike in the air told him that something was wrong and the electrical storm that followed moments later had confirmed it. “Shit, what now?” he growled and leapt off in the direction of the hot springs without bothering to tell the others where he was going. It had to be bad if the Crusnik had unleashed that much power and he was almost dreading finding out what had caused it.

“You've gotta be fucking kidding me,” he exclaimed when he arrived on the scene. Kagome was nowhere to be found and Tres had vanished as well. As if that wasn't surprising enough, Father Nightroad was squaring off with Kouga and doing a damned good job of keeping the wolf on the defensive. “What the hell is going on here?” he shouted, trying to get at least one of their attentions.

“It's about damned time you showed up!” Kouga yelled and leapt backwards, just narrowly avoiding getting eviscerated by the scythe his opponent had seemingly conjured out of nowhere. Whatever the hell he'd been thinking when he'd first saw the male, it sure as hell hadn't been what he'd ended up with. The fucker was fast, impossibly fast, and without the jewel shards in his legs there was no hope of outmaneuvering him. Blood already flowed from numerous injuries and it was all he could do to keep them to non-vital areas.

“What'd you do to piss him off and where the hell is Kagome?” Inuyasha growled, his mind racing in an attempt to figure out how to put an end to this fight. It was more than obvious that Kouga was outmatched and it wouldn't be long before the Crusnik struck a killing blow.'Something had to push him over the edge; he hasn't even noticed I'm here yet. He's too focused on that damned wolf.'

Being forced to duck from a weapon arcing through the air, lest he end up beheaded, Kouga was unable to answer right away. Several inches of his hair fell to the ground, severed cleanly by the scythe, causing him to curse beneath his breath. “Ginta's got her,” he said at last and poured his energy into the Goraishi claws. Several bolts of lightning began streaking towards his opponent; however, it had absolutely no effect on him and Kouga knew that he was running out of options.

“Well that explains everything, you dumbass,” Inuyasha swore and drew the Tetsusaiga. Now that he knew what the hell the problem was, it was up to him to fix it. Without giving a thought to just how the hell he was going to snap the Crusnik out of his blood rage, Inuyasha leapt into the fray.'Dammit, I hope Tres manages to get her back without killing that fool or we're going to have a hell of a time dealing with Kagome after this.'

Thankful for the breather, Kouga moved out of the way so that Inuyasha could deal with the problem although he had no intention of staying out of it for long. “I'm the dumbass? Just what the hell were you doing while Kagome was being molested by scum like this?” he snarled. It if wasn't for the fact that it would be a massive blow to his pride to abandon a fight, he would have already left to make sure that Ginta wasn't having problems with the other male that had followed them.

Viciously Inuyasha pushed back against the scythe and stared Father Nightroad down. At least the man had paused in his attacks and seemed to be listening for the moment, even if the fury in his eyes hadn't abated in the least. “Shit, if they were molesting her it's because she wanted them to,” he said with a snort and waited for the cry of indignation that he knew was coming.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kouga shouted, his expression one of pure disgust. He didn't know what the hell Inuyasha was going on about but he was beginning to wonder if the hanyou had lost his damned mind.

“It's a long story, but you brought this on yourself, you idiot. You'd just better hope that Kagome manages to convince Tres not to kill Ginta or your pack is going to be down another member,” Inuyasha replied curtly, never taking his eyes off of the Crusnik. “Hey Nightroad, you in there?”

Slowly the Crusnik lowered his weapon but he wasn't about to allow his power levels to return to normal, at least not until Kagome was returned to them. However, he was well aware of the conversation taking place, even if he hadn't said anything as of yet. Clearly this was one of Kagome's misguided friends, one with a death wish by the looks of it. “If your partner has harmed her,” he said at last, his eyes narrowing in fury towards the wolf in question, “I'll make sure that your death is torturous enough that it will haunt you in your next life and every one thereafter.”

Immediately Kouga bristled under the threat. “Like hell. Ginta wouldn't hurt Kagome so you can keep your damned threats to yourself. I don't know what the hell you are but don't go making threats you can't back up.”

“Dear God, what is this, another pissing contest?” Kagome asked, sliding out of Tres' arms to stand on her own. “Kouga, do us all a favor and just stop, alright?” The sight of him battered and bloody had her gnawing her lower lip in worry, but the situation was tenuous at best and to go rushing towards him was likely to start another fight. The most important thing right now was to calm everyone down, including Abel, who looked ready to lop off her friend's head.

“Dammit, we were just worried about you, Kagome. What are you doing hanging around these two anyway? With the way you screamed I thought you were being attacked,” Kouga groused, not at all pleased that Kagome had stepped into the middle of it all and immediately tried to put him in his place.

“If you want to call being tossed in the water attacked. Look, let's just chalk this up to a misunderstanding and move on. I'd like to get dressed sometime soon and I can't do it with all of you standing here,” Kagome said and looked at them expectantly.'I don't even want to think about how I'm going to get this dirt off of me. Looks like I'm going to be wearing wet clothes after all.'

“Come on, Kouga. Let's give her some privacy, she'll follow along in a bit and then you can tell us why the hell you're here,” Inuyasha said and slid the Tetsusaiga back into its scabbard. It was going to take the wolf a few minutes to limp back into camp and then it was virtually guaranteed that he was going to be spending the night. Afterwards he'd continue on his way and Inuyasha would be able to breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't say he was looking forward to explaining just how things worked between Kagome and the two priests. 'There's no way in hell he's gonna take that one well.'

“Alright, just give me a minute dog breath,” Kouga said and gestured to Ginta, who had been standing beside Kagome the entire time looking as if she'd threatened him with a fate worse than death. It became clear within the first few steps towards camp though that there were two fewer members to the entourage than he expected. Slowly he turned to face the men he had yet to be introduced to and gave them a disgusted look. “Oy, you two, she said all of us so move your asses.”

“They're exempt from that order,” Kagome remarked dryly and waved him away, much to Kouga's consternation. Considering what just happened, she didn't have a chance in hell of asking Tres or Abel to leave her alone to get dressed; so she wouldn't bother just to spare herself the headache. Hell, she still had one rather irate Crusnik watching Inuyasha lead the two wolf demons off.

Once they were out of sight, she quickly peeled the towel off and dunked it in the water to clean it of the dirt that it had acquired in the tumble. Satisfied that it was as clean as she was going to get it, Kagome began scrubbing down the smudges of dirt that streaked her skin in an attempt to make herself at least somewhat presentable. Throughout the process she could feel the two of them staring at her; however, they just didn't have time to play around.

Dropping the towel, Kagome snatched up her clean clothing and began dressing as quickly as possible. While she wasn't exactly looking forward to finding out just why Kouga and Ginta had shown up, she knew that things would only remain peaceful back at camp for so long which meant they'd better hurry.

While she set about tying her shoes she gave Father Nightroad a considering look. “Should I bother asking if you're going to power down anytime soon?” she asked, somehow already knowing the answer. While she could feel that he was firmly in control, he was still quite angry over the fact that someone had tried to make off with her. 'The kidnapping thing is getting old real fast. What is it with those two anyway?'

The look that the Crusnik gave her was enough to make her sigh in resignation. “Didn't think so. Come on, we should go before those two kill each other.” Easily, she pushed herself to her feet and began walking back towards camp only to be closely flanked by two overprotective males. 'Guess there's no such thing as elbow room after this, is there?'

While the rest of the walk was done in complete silence, it became glaringly obvious that the others in their group didn't enjoy such peace. Long before they actually reached camp they heard raised voices echoing through the forest, causing Kagome to shake her head in annoyance.

“Not even five minutes and they're already fighting. I suppose I should be grateful that Inuyasha won't beat the hell out of him... at least not while he's injured, I hope,” she said, praying that the hanyou retained at least that much restraint, although she was well aware of just how long that would last.

“These instances occur frequently?” Tres asked, assessing the situation as they walked. Despite what Kagome had said about them being friends, the attitude that Inuyasha was displaying spoke of something other than feelings of acceptance and amiability. 'Closer observation of the situation is necessary. Clearly her comrades have shown a lack of self preservation where she is concerned.'

The question had Kagome nodding, although it wasn't with much enthusiasm, “Every chance they get it seems. If it hadn't been you fighting with him, Abel, it would have been Inuyasha instead, even if I would have escaped the trip halfway across the countryside in a towel. I think it's a compulsion between those two, they can't help themselves.”

Tres considered her words and nodded once in understanding. Inuyasha had never struck him as the tolerant type and if Kouga had managed to rile even him up in such a short time frame, he wasn't sure how the hanyou dealt with the wolf. One thing was for certain though, if Kouga had any thoughts about running off with Kagome again not even Inuyasha would be able to save him. After what the wolf demon had attempted, he wouldn't consider him anything other than a potential threat that needed to be observed carefully and eliminated if it became necessary.

Any further conversation in that vein was stopped when they arrived on the edge of camp and came face to face with the two canines squaring off. Immediately Kagome stepped away from Tres and Abel and began marching straight into the fray.

“Alright, that's enough. Haven't the two of you had enough fighting for one day?” she snapped, feeling a headache beginning to build.

“Keh, took you long enough. It's not my fault the idiot couldn't sit down and shut up while you got dressed,” Inuyasha snorted and resumed sitting down in the spot he'd chosen earlier.

“If you would have told me what the hell was going on, maybe I would have,” Kouga retorted angrily. “It's not my fault your lips are closed tighter than a duck's ass when it comes to answering a damned question.”

The odd statement had Miroku raising a brow in amusement and leaning closer to Father Nightroad to whisper, “Do we dare ask just how he would know how tight a duck's ass is?”

“I heard that, you damned pervert!” Kouga yelled in indignation and tried to lever himself up so he could go pound on the monk for that little comment. However, he didn't get very far before Kagome shoved him back to the ground, forcing him to peer up at her. “Awww, Kagome, I wasn't going to hurt him... much.”

“Oh please, right now you shouldn't be fighting at all,” Kagome retorted and knelt down beside Kouga to assess the damage that he'd sustained. The cuts marring his skin were deep and ordinarily she'd determine that they needed to be stitched; however, she knew that would be pointless since he'd be fully recovered by morning anyway. “Shippo, can you bring me the first aid kit?”

“No problem, Kagome,” Shippo replied and darted over to the bag of supplies to rummage through it.

“Thank you, Shippo,” she said before turning her attention back to her patient. “So, drama aside, why are you here, Kouga?”

“Hn, I came to warn you all. That little bitch Kanna is still running around and she's started targeting the wolf packs. The only thing we can figure is it's in retaliation for killing her master. As soon as we realized that you all were nearby, we decided you should know, just in case you came across her,” he said, ignoring the pain of his wounds while Kagome worked on bandaging them. Then, a thought struck him and he looked over to Inuyasha. “Speaking of which, why the hell are you guys so far out here anyway?”

“You could say it ties in with your little problem. You know how you mentioned Naraku?” Inuyasha asked and waited until Kouga nodded. “Well, the bastard ain't dead like we thought he was.”

“How is that even possible?” Kouga snarled in anger. “This better not be some sort of sick joke, dog breath, cause if it is, it damned sure isn't funny.” The thought that Naraku was still alive had him clenching his fists and blood poured from the wounds his nails made. “We watched Kagome blow his ass up. His regeneration abilities might have been good but not that damned good!”

“Yeah, that's what we thought, but the bastard is back and I bet Kanna is working on his orders. With everyone thinking he's dead, it makes it a hell of a lot easier for him to hide if people ain't looking for him,” Inuyasha said with disgust. Nothing had changed in dealing with that damned demon and if it hadn't been for Kagome returning, they never would have known until it was too late.

Kouga opened his mouth to say something and then stopped, considering Inuyasha's words. “So wait,” he began, “if he's letting everyone believe he's still dead then how the hell can you be so sure he's still alive? You haven't seen him, have you?”

In his mind it was one thing to base it on a sighting, or something they could be absolutely certain on, but if this was pure speculation it became a whole different story. One rogue detachment working on her own would be a hell of a lot easier to deal with than both her and her godforsaken creator.

“Inuyasha hasn't but I have,” Kagome said quietly and tied off the last of the bandages in place. She hoped it would be enough; she really didn't want to have to go through the entire explanation with him, considering just how draining each retelling was.

It was then that Kouga realized that they spoke the truth and weren't going on suppositions because he knew that Kagome wouldn't say such a thing unless it was the truth. “Where did you see him?” he asked firmly. If he had a basic idea of where the bastard was last spotted, it might point in the direction that he was hiding in.

“She saw him in her own time at her home a couple of days after she left Kaede's village,” Inuyasha spoke up. This much at least he could do for her; he really didn't want to have to watch her relive the horrors of that particular day and in his mind Kouga had no need to know all the particulars anyway.

“Damn. Well, I'm glad he didn't see you, Kagome. He probably thought he could get his revenge while no one was around. It's a good thing you came back when you did,” Kouga remarked, not noticing the way the girl had gone quiet.

“Yeah, lucky her,” Inuyasha remarked almost derisively, hoping that would put an end to that particular part of the conversation. Explaining how she'd died and come back would put the girl through needless anguish and there was no point to it.

Kouga looked at Inuyasha almost questioningly but it seemed like the hanyou wasn't going to elaborate on the cryptic statement, much to his annoyance. However, if the man wasn't going to be forthcoming on that particular subject there were other topics that he wanted answers to, starting with the two men sitting across from him. “So what's their story?” he asked with an arrogant jerk of his head in their direction.

“They're the ones that saved me from Naraku,” Kagome offered up as an explanation. It wasn't exactly a lie, considering that she'd still be dead if it wasn't for them and the Duchess' help. That wasn't even taking into account the countless times they'd both protected her since the three of them had arrived in the past. Now, she watched him for a moment silently praying he would accept the answer and let it go.

The statement had Kouga looking at Tres and Abel with speculation. The miko had never mentioned the two men before but it was clear that they saw themselves as some sort of guardians by the way they'd positioned themselves beside her. Slowly he nodded, accepting the explanation. “I guess I should thank the two of you for protecting her for me then. If I would have known that Naraku had still been alive I never would have allowed her out of my sight.”

With a sigh, Inuyasha glared at the wolf demon. “Don't even start with that 'my woman' crap, not unless you want to go another round with Nightroad there and next time I won't bother stopping him from cutting your mangy ass into bits.” He could only imagine just how the two priests would take hearing Kouga brandish about that half-assed claim on her that he was so fond of saying, and while it might be amusing to watch at the moment they just didn't have the time.

“I'll say whatever the hell I want, dumbass. I told Kagome that when she came back I'd still be waiting on her and that ain't changed just because they showed up. You can be sure that I'm not leaving her side now that I know Naraku's alive,” Kouga stated curtly. Just because Kagome had gotten herself two more protectors didn't mean he was going to shirk his duty to her either.

“Who the hell said you were invited to come with us?” Inuyasha asked with irritation. Even though the wolf had managed to be of some help during the last fight with Naraku, it didn't mean that he was going to welcome the other male with open arms either. Now that they had Tres and Nightroad with them, they could easily make up for whatever aid Kouga might have been able to give them and he wanted the wolf to be sure to know that fact.

“In case you haven't noticed, I don't need an invite,” Kouga snarled and geared up for the fight that he knew was coming. “I'm the one who knows where Kanna had been sighted so unless you want to hunt the country side on your own for the next two years, you're going to need my help.”

“You couldn't find a trace of Naraku either in over five damned years so what makes now any different? If we had any need for you at all, it'd be as bait, you idiot,” Inuyasha retorted, fully aware that he was setting the wolf demon on edge and not caring in the least.

“Bait! I'll show you bait, you arrogant jackass,” Kouga snarled in anger and made a move to stand up. Just because he was injured didn't mean that he'd let someone like Inuyasha continue to insult him like that. In spite of the pain that raced through his arms, he began levering himself up off the ground, fully intending on pummeling the hanyou into the dirt.

“That's quite enough,” Kagome snapped, her eyes blazing with fury as she stared the two of them down. “You two need to stop acting like children and get back on the blasted subject! Kouga, where is Kanna? If we find her then there's a good chance that we can find Naraku.”

The sheer anger that he saw in Kagome's expression had Kouga pausing for a moment before lowering himself back to the ground. For her, he'd put his differences with Inuyasha aside because he knew that if the hanyou kept pushing, the miko would deal with him quickly. Neither of them wanted to be on the bad side of that woman's wrath.

“She's been spotted in the forest bordering the volcanic fields. Occasionally she'll venture further into the wolves' territory but most often she waits until she comes across a hunting party. All we find of their remains are the soulless bodies... assuming the scavengers have left them in one piece,” Kouga said after a moment.

“You mean where Totousai lives?” Shippo asked, considering what he remembered of the area. Most of it was fairly flat and uninhabitable, but if you ventured deep enough into the fields there were mountain ridges that were riddled with caves. It would be a perfect place for Naraku to hole himself up.

“Yeah, although when I last talked to the old man he hadn't seen a trace of her. He didn't mention Naraku either so I doubt that the bastard is parading himself around. He's letting that little bitch do his dirty work while he recovers from the massive ass kicking we gave him,” Kouga replied quickly. “If we left tomorrow, we could reach the edge of the fields in just over a week, maybe less if we move fast.”

“We? What's this 'we' shit? You got a mouse stuffed up your ass that we don't know about or something?” Inuyasha asked and crossed his arms. He still didn't want the complications that would come from Kouga tagging along with them. It was bad enough watching the two priests glued to the miko's ass, but to throw Kouga into the mix? He'd be tempted to throw all three of them off a damned cliff before an hour of travel had passed.

“I already told you, I'm going and that's the end of it,” Kouga retorted quickly and turned his attention back to Kagome. “Don't worry. I'll make sure that Naraku doesn't even get close enough to hurt you.”

“That's nice of you to offer, Kouga, but won't you be needed to warn the other wolves about Kanna, just in case we can't find her right away?” Kagome asked while praying that her friend would think better of his idea of following them. Not that his help wouldn't be appreciated but she didn't know if her frazzled nerves would be able to take him and Inuyasha together again for such a length of time.

The question was brushed off with a wave of his hand, “Nah, everyone's on high alert now and keeping an eye out for her. There's no need for me to head back now; besides, someone's gotta keep an eye out for you and I'm just the person for the job.”

Although Miroku had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, he figured now would be a good time to speak up. Politely he cleared his throat and waited until he had everyone's attention. “They might be aware of Kanna's presence, but we're the only ones that know about Naraku. Do you not think it would be prudent to warn them that he is still alive?”

“Huh.” Kouga was forced to stop and consider. While he could send Ginta to warn them, his words wouldn't carry as much weight and he'd likely be questioned, if not brushed off completely. It was a troublesome complication but one that had to be dealt with. If Naraku had sent Kanna after the packs, then there was a chance that he might take to attacking himself if he realized his secret was uncovered. “Alright, you have a point, monk. I guess that means in the morning we'll be heading off to warn the packs but make no mistake. Once that's done, I'll be coming back so don't you guys get any bright ideas about taking Naraku on by yourselves.”

Seeing that Inuyasha was about to open his mouth and tell Kouga just where to shove that particular thought, Miroku gave him a look that had the hanyou falling silent. “It'll take us at least a week and a half to reach the area where we believe Naraku might be hiding since part of our party is injured. I'm sure with how quickly you travel you can make it back long before we have any chance of engaging the enemy.”

“Wait a minute,” Kouga said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Who's injured?” Critically he looked over the entire group, trying to discern just who Miroku was talking about. Clearly it wasn't Inuyasha or that bastard he'd fought earlier; that one had moved far too fast to be hindered in such a way.

“Oh, that would be Father Tres,” Kagome interjected immediately, not wanting to add herself to the list and give Kouga more of a reason to insist on staying. “It was my fault really, since I fell on him, but he's doing much better. A couple more weeks and he'll be good as new.”

With that statement, Tres looked over at the miko curiously; however, he decided against mentioning that she'd taken as much damage as he had, if not more so. He wasn't any happier about the possibility of this particular demon hanging around with the group either and he knew that Father Nightroad was of a like mind. Although the Crusnik had seemingly calmed down he could still feel the anger in him lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for a reason to be unleashed.

“I guess it's a good thing there's two of them then since he won't be much good in a fight if he's banged up,” Kouga said, dismissing Tres out of hand. Yet the fact that he'd been more than enough to stop Ginta made him sigh, as good of a friend as the other demon was he was woefully lacking when it came to being a skilled fighter.

“I'm sure that Father Tres is quite capable of taking care of any enemies that we might encounter. It is not wise to discount his abilities,” Miroku advised, seeing the way Tres' eyes had narrowed at the insult. In fact, Miroku was quite certain that the man would be more than happy to demonstrate those abilities, although it would likely mean that Kouga would be nothing more than a memory once the purification finished its work.

“I guess,” Kouga replied although he didn't sound entirely convinced. Still, if nothing else it was better than just Inuyasha looking over her. Kagome was a magnet for trouble and needed all the protection that she could get. “So that settles it then, Ginta and I will return to the packs to warn them in the morning. That shouldn't take more than a few days; it'll give me more than enough time to get back to help you with Naraku.”

“Like we're gonna wait up for you,” Inuyasha grumbled beneath his breath, just loud enough for the wolf to hear him. Even though the injuries Tres had sustained slowed him down to a certain extent, something told him that the man would be more than eager to push his own body if it meant leaving Kouga in the dust. Kagome was the only unknown factor then and if it came down to it, Inuyasha had no qualms about carrying her.

“Keh, like you're fast enough to out pace me anyway, dog breath,” Kouga shot back, clearly unimpressed with Inuyasha's comment. The hanyou might be fast enough to keep a decent speed going, but the humans in the party weren't and that was all the advantage he needed. It just wasn't something he was going to worry about, so instead he turned to the miko. “So, what's my woman going to cook for me tonight?”

“Keh, their woman ain't cooking you shit,” Inuyasha remarked, making sure that Kouga couldn't miss the way he'd stressed the two words, “If you want to eat, find something for yourself. She ain't waiting hand and foot on you.”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome gasped, horrified that the man would say something so bluntly in order to cause yet another outburst. Sure enough, the way Kouga had turned to look at her would have been laughable if it had been anyone but her. As it was, it looked as if his eyes were about to pop out of his head as he stared at her obviously waiting for the denial of the words that he was sure was coming.

“What? He was gonna find out sooner or later. It's better to get it out of the way now,” Inuyasha said smugly and turned towards the wolf demon. “Their claims supercede yours. Tough luck, ain't it?”

“Just when and how the hell did that happen?” Kouga yelled, his gaze swinging wildly from Kagome to the two newcomers as his fists clenched by his sides in rage. Angrily, he stared at the two men, one looked rather smug while the other was completely unreadable.

“I'm going to get you for this,” Kagome hissed angrily at the hanyou who only grinned at her. 'How in the hell am I supposed to explain this one?' Clearly she couldn't just brush this little problem off because there was no way that Kouga was going to let it go. 'Where's Naraku when I need him? Or a giant hole to swallow me up again.'

“You can try,” Inuyasha said and leaned back against the tree trunk. If nothing else, this would make Kouga positively miserable and that in itself would brighten his own day just a little bit more. Even if it meant that Kagome would make the next couple of days hell for him, it was worth it.

“Perhaps I should be the one to explain,” Miroku said, interrupting the yelling match that was about to start. It had only taken one look from the miko for him to take pity on her, even though he'd much rather be indulging in something that wasn't so stressful. With a sigh he looked into Kouga's irate face. 'Perhaps it would be best if I kept a list of all the favors they're going to owe me by the time this trip is finished. At the rate that they're going, they'll be lucky if we're ever even again.'