InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ In Pursuit of the Green Dragon ❯ The Wolf Prince ( Chapter 29 )

Author's Note: Apologies for the delay between chapters--August found me embroiled in a parade of visitors and a major home renovation, and I didn't have much time to write. A warning: there will be character deaths ahead between now and the end of this story. Sorry about that...I don't usually write depressing endings, and I don't intend this to become a "...and they all died tragically," kind of story, but there will be casualties along the way.

On the road to Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan

What had started out as a round of only slightly malicious teasing on Kouga's part had suddenly turned serious.

"Hey!" exclaimed the wolf-prince, his blue eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute, dog-face! Since when did you get so serious about this--?"

He dodged out of the way of the next swing of the hanyou's giant sword, feeling the tingle in his legs as the jewel shards embedded in his shins lent him their strength.

What on earth was going on here?

Inuyasha, while maybe not a friend, was at least an ally, Kouga thought, as he kicked out, aiming for Inuyasha's wrist, trying to disarm him.

So, why was he attacking him with serious intent now? The hanyou had even risked his own life to save Kouga once or twice, and Kouga was an honorable youkai. He would not forget the debt he owed Inuyasha, even if he couldn't resist teasing him about his feelings for his delectable and delightfully courageous human companion.

And while their infrequent encounters usually involved threats and even a brief tussle now and again, Kouga had always treated these more as dominance posturing than any indication of murderous intent.

But now...now Kagome must really be in trouble, thought Kouga, as Inuyasha rushed at him again.

The hanyou fairly radiated desperation, and the musky stink of what could only be the dragon he had mentioned hung heavily around Inuyasha's human companions and their belongings.

Kouga leapt in the air, and somersaulted out of Inuyasha's way, smirking as he managed to land on the hanyou's head and kick off again before Inuyasha could react.

Inuyasha stumbled, his balance thrown off by his sword's great weight, and Kouga took advantage of his opponent's moment of weakness to plant a strong kick between Inuyasha's shoulder blades.

The hanyou pitched forward with a curse, the sword flying from his hand and immediately shrinking back down to a worn, rusty katana as it landed on the grass some distance away.

Kouga immediately pressed his advantage by landing on Inuyasha's back, knees pressed firmly on either side of the hanyou's spine. He grabbed Inuyasha's wrists and twisted his arms up behind his back.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, tightening his grip.

"Fuck you!" came the muffled exclamation from the face pressed firmly into the grass.

Kouga grinned humorlessly. "Wrong answer, dog-shit," he said with false cheer, and began to force Inuyasha's arms up higher, feeling the resistance as he did so.

Kagome might be upset if he pulled Inuyasha's arm out of its socket, thought Kouga, but he wanted a little payback for the hanyou's unprovoked attack on him. He applied more pressure, and felt Inuyasha's breathing turn ragged under his knees.

A hand touched his bare arm cautiously. "Don't hurt him, please?"

The youkai exterminator didn't smell nearly as nice as Kagome, but she smelled better than the monk who stood at her shoulder, his expression composed but his eyes glittering and a white knuckled grip on the shaft of his metal-tipped staff.

Kouga eyed the pair of humans cautiously--he knew from previous experience that they were formidable fighters.

Not that they'd be able to overpower him, of course, but Kagome wouldn't like it if he was forced to hurt her friends in self-defense.

Inuyasha thrashed weakly. "…don't need your help, Sango---Mmmph!"

Kouga found that he could shut Dog-face up simply by leaning forward a little, and pressing the hanyou's face more firmly into the ground.

"What's gotten into him? Why is he so eager to steal my jewel shards all of a sudden?" the wolf prince demanded of Inuyasha's human friends.

The monk and the slayer exchanged glances. The monk answered.

"He wishes to help Kagome-sama," he said with his usual politeness, but Kouga could hear determination underlying his voice, like a steel blade hidden in a shiny scabbard. "We have several powerful sorcerers in our company, but in order to successfully storm Kasama Castle, they need jewel shards to perform their magic."

"Sorcerers?" Kouga studied the other humans in the group with an assessing eye.

Two of them were young men with foreign clothing and hair the color of straw--a quick sniff confirmed that they weren't youkai or hanyou despite their strange appearance--and one was a tired-looking man with normal dark hair, but wearing the same style of garments as his two companions.

None of them exuded any aura out of the ordinary for three humans.

"Those guys? You've got to be shitting me," Kouga continued, incredulously. "A toad-youkai could kick their asses without even trying."

The shortest of the three strangers scowled and clenched his fists. "What are you trying to say, you freak?"

"Edward-sama, please," the slayer said. "We need Kouga's help."

"Damned right you do!" Kouga interjected. "But I'm not sure I wanna help the guys who let my woman get kidnapped."

Underneath his weight, Inuyasha wriggled convulsively, nearly throwing Kouga off, and his muffled swearing grew louder.

Kouga regained his balance--and his advantage over Inuyasha--but knew it couldn't last for long. Dog-face was freakishly strong for a half-breed.

"I'll tell you what," Kouga said. "I'll do what this loser couldn't--I'll rescue Kagome!" He began to ease up cautiously on Inuyasha, preparing to make his move. "You said that she's being held at Kasama Castle, right?"

He leapt nimbly away from Inuyasha, and dashed away, determined to put a goodly distance between himself and the campsite before the enraged hanyou regained his feet.

As he sped along the narrow dirt track, his keen ears allowed him to overhear Inuyasha. "Miroku, you dumbass! Now we'll never--"

The rest of Inuyasha's complaint was lost in the rush of wind in Kouga's ears as he drew on the shards to power his legs.

Oh, he couldn't wait to see Inuyasha's expression when he, Kouga, returned to the little group with a grateful Kagome at his side after rescuing her and defeating this dragon!

ooOoo

"That fucking wimpy wolf! I'm not gonna let him--" Inuyasha was still ranting as he stomped around the campsite.

The Professor was looking mildly alarmed at this display of temper, and Alphonse appeared to be politely ignoring the whole thing. He was probably exhausted--vehicle or not, it had been a long day for someone still recovering from serious blood loss.

Or maybe, thought Edward, his brother was just depressed at the prospect of yet another rival for Kagome's affections. There was something about the girl that seemed to attract demons.

Speaking of demons...Ed looked at the grass stains covering the front of the hanyou's red outfit, and the smears of dirt on his chin and forehead, and snickered.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha heard him.

"You got something to say to me?" he demanded, leaning in close, and displaying far too many sharp white teeth.

Ed saw Miroku begin to intervene, then stop as Sango put a hand on his arm. Okay, I'm on my own here. I really gotta stop being such a smart-ass.

Exerting an ungentle pressure with his automail hand, Ed deliberately removed the clawed hand clutching the lapel of his jacket. "Just that we'd better get going if we're going to catch up with you…uh…friend there."

"He's not my fucking fr--" Inuyasha began, his tanned cheeks flushing dangerously. He stopped when he realized that Ed was goading him.

"But it's night," he said, after a moment, "I can see in the dark, but you guys--"

Ed shrugged and grinned. "That's why Al and I put headlights on this thing," he said, cheerfully, pointing at their vehicle. "C'mon, let's get going."

ooOoo

Kagome spent her second night in Kasama Castle huddled, shivering, under the single light quilt provided her. She lay awake for hours, trying to get warm. Even her attempts to roll herself up in the thin futon didn't help--she still felt drafts pierce the bedding, sending icy fingers through the rents in her clothing, and as soon as she dozed off, her grip on the ends of the mattress loosened enough to allow it to unroll.

Her thoughts marched wearily around and around as she drew her knees up to her chest, her teeth chattering. Envy. The Shikon no Tama. Alphonse-kun.

Inuyasha.

If only he were here!

But she was on her own. She knew he was searching for her, probably frantic with worry by now and taking it out on his friends, but who knew when he'd find her?

In the meantime…somehow…she had to figure out how to use what she'd learned today.

Shadowed by Chouko, Kagome had spent hours investigating the castle, its courtyards, and its buildings. At first, she tried to be unobtrusive about it, but it soon became clear that none of the youkai were paying her the slightest heed. She was a lowly human, and off-limits for food, so therefore beneath their interest.

What Kagome learned was not encouraging. The castle's walls were high and in excellent repair; the gates were wooden beams reinforced with metal, and the fortifications were manned by armed guards, both human and youkai. Even if she did get her hands on the jewel, how would she ever escape from here without Inuyasha's help?

Not that she was anywhere close to the jewel. In fact, she hadn't seen Envy at all after their strange meeting that morning.

Midday came and went without the slightest hint of food, and by the time dusk fell, she was feeling dizzy and faintly nauseous from hunger.

Chouko escorted her back to her tiny room, and brought her a bowl of stew. It was much too salty, and had a weird, slimy texture, but by this time, Kagome was too ravenous to care.

She ate it all, even the oddly-shaped bits of meat, firmly refusing to speculate on what they might be, and shamelessly scraped the sides of the bowl for every last drop.

Then there was nothing to do but shiver and wait for sleep. The castle had no books, as far as she could see, and her own textbooks had been left behind at the campsite.

Finally, after what felt like hours, she fell into a doze.

"Kagome-chan." The voice, quiet and feminine, startled Kagome.

She sat up, and found that her tiny chamber--and the very castle itself--had disappeared into a landscape of unending mist. It was still very cold. Hugging her arms around her, she tried to control chattering teeth.

"W-who is it?"

A faint pink glow caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to see a young woman standing nearby. She was gravely beautiful, and wearing archaic armor. Memory tugged at Kagome's consciousness. The woman seemed familiar somehow....

Memory sparked at last.

"Midoriko-sama?" Kagome looked around. "Where am I?"

The woman inclined her head. "Kagome-chan, you are in great peril, and my time here is short. You must listen to me, very carefully."

"What else could be wrong?" Kagome asked, despairingly. "I'm already a prisoner in a castle filled with youkai, and Envy's got the jewel, and my arrows don't work against him!"

She dropped her gaze, ashamed of her weakness. "I'm sorry," she concluded, in a whisper.

"Child, look at me," commanded Midoriko.

Unable to refuse, Kagome did, and met the stern gaze of the warrior-priestess. That calm, strong regard made her feel even smaller and grubbier and more useless than before.

"Child, you are strong, stronger than you realize," Midoriko said. "But that strength is a dangerous temptation to the being which now possesses the Shikon no Tama."

"I'm helping him," Kagome confessed. "I'm not sure I should, but I think he'd kill me if I said 'no' to him."

"He's planning on killing you, anyway," Midoriko informed her, and Kagome's heart gave an unpleasant lurch. "As soon as he learns out how to avoid tainting the jewel, he won't need you any longer."

"And, um, how close is he to figuring that out?" Kagome hugged herself tighter, feeling the cold mist creep into her very bones. She thought longingly of hot baths and thick coats.

"You have a little time, but not much, I think," Midoriko replied, after a moment spent listening for something.

"What should I do?" Kagome asked her, a little desperately. "How do I--"

"Human!" a voice broke into her dream, and Kagome tried to push it away, tried to hang on to Midoriko, but her surroundings melted away like mist in the morning sun. "Human, wake up!"

Feeling even wearier than when she'd crawled into bed, Kagome opened her eyes and peered blearily up at Chouko's unwelcome presence. The room was still dark--it must be before dawn.

"Human, Envy-dono requires your presence," Chouko said, looking irritated at Kagome's sluggish response.

At least she wouldn't have to get dressed, Kagome thought sourly, as she crawled out from beneath the inadequate bedding, and reached for the cup of throat-rasping tea proffered by Chouko.

It tasted better than yesterday's offering, but then again, maybe she was just grateful that it was hot.

ooOoo

The Jewel's whispers had started again well before dusk, but Envy pushed the voices back ruthlessly.

They grew louder and stronger as the black hours of night passed into a sullen gray dawn. Finally, he yielded to necessity, and ordered his guards to summon the girl.

Damn it, but he had hoped that whatever it was that she had done to the Jewel the previous day--purifying, she had called it--would have lasted longer.

It was going to make him look weak if he continued to call upon her. And he knew just how the youkai crowding the castle would react to any sign of weakness.

Or maybe she was tricking him somehow, making sure that the purification wore off so that he'd keep her alive a little longer. Funny, but she hadn't seemed like the devious type....

Maybe he should just kill her now, before she realized that she had power over him.

But if he did that, how could he keep the upper hand with the fucking jewel? It knew it had power over him.

It was a fucking dilemma, thought Envy, as he sat on his dais, impatiently drumming his fingers against the carved wooden armrest of his seat. Frying pan or fire...obligated to a human girl or controlled by a broken piece of glass with a malevolent mind of its own?

He needed that taiyoukai's soul, damn it!

...or did he?

Envy paused, and his restless fingers stilled as he reexamined his thinking. After all, it had been Naraku who had suggested it in the first place. Would Envy really be able to master the jewel that way? Or did Naraku have a deeper agenda?

Now, the human girl...she had already proven her ability to master the jewel. True, her soul didn't hold the same cachet as that of a prince among youkai...but she was a known quantity, and that made her valuable.

This mysterious taiyoukai was just that...mysterious. Powerful, certainly. But as to whether that power would be useful to Envy...now, that was a lot less certain.

What if Naraku just wanted the taiyoukai dead for his own purposes?

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely that the girl might be just the thing he needed. A bird in the hand was always worth more than a bird--or taiyoukai--loose in the forest somewhere.

Of course, the girl's ability to control the jewel would make stealing her soul via that route difficult, but Envy was certain he could find another way.

Long minutes passed, and Envy saw the youkai retainers standing closest to the dais begin to edge away nervously as his finger-tapping resumed.

Then Chouko finally appeared, practically dragging the girl into the audience chamber.

The youkai woman bowed deeply. "Envy-dono!" she choked out. "I am unforgivably late! Please excuse your humble servant!"

Envy ignored her, his glance flicking to the human girl, who stood quietly at Chouko's side.

She was definitely looking bedraggled, still wearing her dirty, torn, blood-stained priestess's blouse and loose red trousers, her hair tousled and her face pale, with dark circles under her eyes.

"Little girl," he said, cutting across the continuing stream of Chouko's apologies.

"My name is Kagome," she said, politely but firmly.

He saw her studying him warily, clearly trying to decide if she had angered him. What was missing from her was the sense of bone-deep terror that emanated from every other human in his presence, and from many of the youkai.

Kill her! She wants to steal your will! She wants to defeat you! The voices of he jewel inside his head rose to an almost-unbearable volume.

"Little girl," he said again, this time with a sneer. "Time to put you to work."

Her gaze dropped to his chest, where the jewel throbbed with a dull ache that spread through to his shoulders and spine. And he saw something in her expression that make rage rise like bile in his throat, choking him.

Pity.

She pitied him? HIM! It was unbearable.

His hands curled into fists, and he leaned forward. This time, several of the youkai dancing attendance on him actually cowered.

The Jewel sang its approval of his anger, and he scowled, controlling his burst of rage.

Until he found a way to extract her talents, the girl was a dangerous weakness, but not nearly as dangerous as allowing the Jewel to realize the extent of its influence.

"Well?" he snapped, when she continued to stare at him. He lowered his voice to silky threat. "Don't make me ask again."

She took an obviously-reluctant step forward, and raised her hand, reaching for his jewel.

The voices stilled abruptly. That's right, he thought savagely at the Jewel. You know what's coming next, don't you?

There was a great crash outside, and Envy felt the dais shiver under him.

"KAGOME!" came a faint roar from the courtyard.

She whirled to face the sliding door that led into the audience chamber.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was a choked whisper.

She took a step away from him. Envy elongated his arm, and seized her by the neck.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired sarcastically.

She glared in reply, and he tightened his grip cruelly, pulling her back to him. She stumbled, and his nails dug into the soft flesh of her throat and collarbone.

He held her immobile at his feet, drops of blood welling around the crescents his nails were pressing into her skin, until the door to the hall opened a short time later, and one of his guards entered.

Panting, the man threw himself down on his hands and knees, and touched his forehead to the tatami mats that floored the hall.

"Envy-dono!" he gasped. "There's a youkai--a really strong youkai--outside. He claims you stole his woman, and he demands satisfaction!"

The girl stiffened, eyes wide. A ripple of shocked whispers spread through the onlookers in the hall.

Envy gave a short laugh. "He's demanding something from me? Keep him cooling his heels outside the gates for a few days--maybe that'll improve his manners."

"B-but, my lord, he's here! Inside the castle! He kicked down the gate!"

Envy rose from the dais in a single smooth motion despite his hampering robes. The guard looked up fearfully, but Envy wasn't interested in killing the messenger this time.

"Come along," he said to the girl, and dragged her with him down the length of the audience chamber, still holding her neck in an unbreakable grip. "Let's see what your boyfriend does next."

The youkai stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by a ring of armed guardsmen, their spears at the ready but keeping a cautious distance. To Envy's surprise, it was not the red-clad, silver-haired hanyou boy from the campsite.

The stranger wore a curious mix of fur garments and bits of armor. He had the pointed ears of a full-blooded youkai, bright blue eyes, and long dark hair pulled into a high ponytail.

"Who the hell are you?" Envy asked, puzzled, just as Kagome exclaimed:

"Kouga-kun!"

"Kagome!" replied the stranger, with a cocksure grin. "Are you okay? I've come to rescue you!" The grin vanished, and he scowled at Envy. "Let go of her, you bastard!"

Without releasing his grip on the girl's throat, Envy cast a glance at the castle's main gate. The thick cypress timbers were splintered, and the gate hung in the doorway at an odd angle. How did he do that?

The voices of the Jewel answered unexpectedly. He has shards! We can sense them!

Shards? But where was he hiding them? Envy studied the invader with new interest.

"...I can smell him everywhere," Kouga was saying to the girl, his nose wrinkling, "but I don't see the dragon. Is he here?"

"Yes, he is. And you certainly know how to make an entrance. Very impressive," Envy drawled. "And you've brought me jewel shards, too. How thoughtful!"

The girl's glance darted to Kouga's legs, dropping below his knees, and Envy suddenly realized where the shards were.

He raised his free hand.

"Kouga-kun, RUN!" she screamed. "He want to steal your--"

"Run? But I'm here to resc--" The youkai was still gaping foolishly at her as Envy's elongated fingers, now tipped with razor-sharp claws, tore through his shin-guards in a blur of motion and embedded themselves in the flesh beneath.

There! Envy tore out the shards in a spray of blood. He retracted his fingers with their precious prizes, sending Kouga to his knees in the dirt of the courtyard.

"You bastard!" The youkai tried to struggle to his feet, and failed.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome tried and failed to loosen Envy's grip on her. "Are you all right?"

Envy raised an incredulous brow in her direction. Had she really just asked that, when her youkai friend was kneeling in a pool of his own blood?

He examined the shards gleaming wetly in his palm. "Thanks for the present, Kouga-kun," he said, ironically. "This is turning out to be a much better day than I expected."

The Jewel shrieked in triumph.

Canon and Historical Notes

All hail the wonderful kokoronagomu, beta reader extraordinaire!