InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Cry of the Wolf ❯ Dueling Winds ( Chapter 2 )

Cry of the wolf

Part two: Dueling winds

By Lance the Flamesniper

Kouga paced in the center of the ruined camp. He'd brought the mouthy woman with him as proof that he'd not killed needlessly. He knew somehow that there'd be others coming. He hoped they'd be sensible. But somehow he doubted they would be.

'Not all humans are like Kagome and her friends were. Some of them are stupid and violent and mindless,' thought Kouga.

"Why are you doing this?" Demanded Dr. Wilks. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Are you a lawyer?" Kouga snarled.

"No," Wilks snapped back.

"Are you a psychologist?" He responded

"No!"

"Then stop asking me stupid questions! Your men took something from me. They have committed an act that was only pardonable by death."

"We took nothing from you!" Wilks answered.

"You took EVERYTHING from me, you stupid bitch!" Kouga roared his eyes fairly glowing with barely controlled rage. "And I WILL be repaid for it!"

Wilks gulped. It was quite possible, it occurred to her, that her "host" was not entirely stable.

Meanwhile Kouga's mind drifted back over the centuries. Giving up his shards to Kagome wasn't the hardest thing in the world he'd ever done. Giving her up to the dog turd she loved had stung but even it wasn't that tough. The toughest part was actually courting Ayame. At first she was after him almost constantly then she shifted tactics and played hard to get and indecisive. But once she finally agreed to be his mate, he'd felt like the world was handed to him on a plate of gold. With her at his side he'd planned to begin his family and trained to use his growing powers as a taiyoukai of the north.

His powers had indeed grown over time. With practice he was able to move within tornados as he had with his shards. He also managed to create blade-like swaths of air pressure that could shatter rocks and throw a punch with the same effect. It was also training he shared first with his mate then with his cubs when they grew old enough. Then came the great freeze, then the warriors of the False moon. Between the two his clan was depleted until only he and Ayame were left. Now to lose her...

Kouga shook his head. He would mourn later. Now he needed to stay focused. Reparations were in need and he would get them, even at cost of his own life.

 

Kagome bit at one of her fingernails. She knew this had the potential to become a huge incident. She knew that Kouga would likely not kill all the scientists, but if he were angry enough it was difficult to guess what he might do. This matter required tact to keep this from spiraling out of control.

"My Queen! Allow Sailor Neptune and I to deal with this youma!" A voice called out.

Kagome face faulted. So much for tact... she thought as she watched Sailor Uranus stride forward. The Outer Senshi had a bad habit of shooting first and asking last. This could only end badly. She'd need to do something. "Your majesty, I would like to go with them, as well. I feel this may be a misunderstanding that could be worked out peacefully."

The Queen seemed to consider this for a moment. “Very well, Miko Kagome. You and the Guard Inu Yasha shall go with Neptune and Uranus," Serenity responded with a knowing smile.

Kagome often wondered about the queen of Crystal Tokyo. There were times when she would look at a person and it would feel like she was looking through them at what lay inside. It was not a comfortable feeling coming from someone that she knew to be warm and friendly. There were also times that Kagome would see the queen look at Inu Yasha and her fingers would twitch as if she wanted to stride over and tweak his puppy-like ears. But that was ridiculous! She didn't know Inu Yasha was a hanyou...did she?

"Thank you, your majesty," Kagome replied. Inwardly though Kagome couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen when they encountered the wolves. While they were decent when calm, if they were angered or challenged they could be a deadly and devastating enemy. She only hoped that Kouga was keeping his senses about him.

There were things one expects from a youma. They tended to be stupid. They tended be dangerous and drain energy from their victims. So far Dr. Wilks hadn't seen any of these behaviors. Instead, much to her confusion, this youma seemed content to sit on a rock a few feet from her using a long triangular file to sharpen his claws.

"You DO realize that the Neoqueen's probably going to send her senshi after you, right?" She asked.

"Senshi?" Kouga asked. "What're those?"

Dr. Wilks face faulted. "They're lovely warriors of love and justice!"

"Love and Justice huh? Perfect! I am actually looking for justice at the moment."

"You don't get it, youma. They'll be coming to kill you."

"They can try. However, I am not a youma. I am above them."

"Then what are you? A dark general?" Wilks asked.

"Now you're talking like a scientist. What I am is the one thing 'youma' are a pale reflection of," Kouga sneered.

"What?" Wilks demanded. All of her life she'd hated riddles, it was why she'd become a scientist. To rid the world of mystery.

"I'm a youkai. A wolf youkai to be precise."

"Impossible! Youkai and hanyou are a legend! They aren't real!" Wilks replied.

"If your senshi come here believing that, they're in for a surprise," Kouga replied. "They'll be here soon I know that."

Many Centuries ago Kagome Higureshi made a wish on the shikon no tama. She hadn't intended to make the wish she made but it seemed to work out all right. The wish was to stay with her friends for as long as they lived. In and of itself the wish had good intentions, however the Shikon no Tama was a mix of demonic and holy Ki. No matter what wish was made it would warp it if it could. In this wish's case it didn't need to look any further than her friends. Among the people it could call friends, in some cases using the loosest possible definition of the word were an inu hanyou, an ookami youkai, a kitsune youkai, a flea youkai, and an inu youkai. With that in mind it chose to extend her and her human friends lives to demonic lengths. The end result being a few thousand years without aging and, most likely, not a death from old age. It had taken time to get used to, but all of them adapted and stayed together, especially after it was discovered that the well was sealed.

It had taken only a few hours to pack what she'd need for the trip. This had included her bow and several arrows. Some people would think traveling with the most gung ho senshi to walk the planet would be protection enough, but Kagome knew that not all youkai were friendly and there was always the chance of trouble to be found.

There was another thought too. Several wards of Crystal Tokyo were hit hard in the Black moon invasion, especially the Ginza ward, Nerima and of course Juuban. Several people had become unsung heroes, including Miroku, Shippo and several of the legendary Neriman Martial Artists. Of course the only reason Kagome knew of them is by touring the battlefields, offering prayers and hope to the various warriors. She supposed that when history was written about this, the sacrifices of the unknown heroes would be nothing more than a footnote. But, something else stood out too.

In several of Dr. Wilks' reports she's mentioned encountering the wreckage of crystal ships. While it wasn't unusual to find such things around Crystal Tokyo, these had been found several miles to the north. Originally the doctor had rather shakily tried to rule these out as ships that had suffered some kind of system failure and crashed. Several things rang wrong about that and a lot of people saw them clearly. The areas where these ships were found looked like battlefields. Among the wrecks were always the scattered remains of the dark moon's droids, as they called their youma. These looked as if they'd been hacked to pieces, or shredded by claws or horns and, in the case of the commanders of these youma, completely dismembered.

'No, not just dismembered,' Kagome mentally corrected. 'They were dismembered and placed on display. The only thing that went counter to the belief that these were battlefields was a lack of bodies other than droids. But then again, if they'd been facing off with the wolves or perhaps an army of many different youkai including the wolves, whoever was leading them would have had them take the bodies of their fallen with them.' Her knowledge of Kouga's thinking on things like battle, tended to scare her at times.

Her thoughts drifted back to Kouga as she walked to the transport they would be taking. They'd met in the ruins of a village he'd turned his wolves on for harboring a traitor who'd stole a jewel shard from him. At the time he'd been a war chief for his pack; something similar to a warrior-prince. But, as violent as he could be, he could also be gentle and friendly... as well as flirtatious, arrogant and cocky. In short he was very much like Inu Yasha, only with full youkai blood.

"You two ready to go yet?" Sailor Uranus huffed.

'Great, she's spoiling for a fight. Oh well, if it comes to that...' "Sorry! Just lost in thought," Kagome replied smoothly.

"Think later. We need to get going now!" Uranus snapped as she stroke up the boarding ramp of the hover carrier.

"She's looking for a fight," Inu Yasha grunted as he walked with Kagome up the ramp.

"If Kouga's in half the mood I think he is," Kagome replied. "She'll get one."

Two days later the transport landed. The pilot had been instructed to land a couple miles from the last known camp of the exploratory group. The plan followed that the two Outers, Inu Yasha and Kagome would then walk to the camp, slay the "youma" and rescue the scientists. Or at least, that was how Sailor Uranus had worded it. Kagome of course had other plans.

Whatever plans they'd had, they apparently had not informed Kouga. Naturally he'd had ideas of his own.

The group had barely left eye contact with their carrier and was a mile into the woods surrounding the camp when they heard it. It was a low mournful sound, the howl that wolves had offered to their mistress the moon since time untold. One howl, holding seemingly all the sorrow in the world, was soon joined by another, then a third and on until the woods reverberated with the mournful tones.

"They say that a wolf's howl is in mourning," Kouga began as he walked out of the shadows. "They mourn their mistress the pale moon, who they desire but cannot touch. Tonight, they mourn as they are wont to do, but also they mourn for their recent loss."

"Where are the scientists Youma!" Uranus snarled.

Kouga chuckled. "They are safe. Save for three of them who dared to rob me of something precious."

"Murderer!" Neptune called out. She was not known for her temper, but when roused she could be fierce.

Kagome, for her part had a feeling where this was going, and kept herself out of sight though Inu Yasha did not.

"I delivered justice!" Kouga answered the teal tressed woman. "But I am not done yet!"

"That's what you think!" Sailor Uranus growled. "World Shaking!"

The ball of glowing wind mana flew straight on at Kouga. Uranus wouldn't see it, but Kouga wasn't even where she was aiming anymore. He was too quick for that. The trees that were behind him weren't as quick and rapidly exploded with the impact.

"Ha! Too easy!" Sailor Uranus crowed...only to be stopped by slow, almost mocking, clapping.

"Not bad. But I've seen better," Her would-be target replied before throttling toward her at sub-tornado speed. As Sailor Uranus turned to face her attacker, he was on her with a flurry of punches and kicks that took all of Sailor Uranus' skills to defend against. Her counter-attack began with a knee to the stomach that was way too telegraphed followed by foot planted in his stomach and used to flip him away from her. Kouga turned a lazy back flip in the air and landed on his feet. With a cocky smirk he motioned for her to come at him again.

"If that's how you like it!" Uranus snarled charging forward with her own wind-borne speed.

Kouga smiled ferally. This woman was a real spitfire. Kouga's thoughts were rapidly refocused as he found himself batting aside several kicks, including a double-heeled mule kick. Finally the woman made a mistake: she grabbed his shoulders and delivered a head butt. A normal human, and most Youma, would have been staggered by such a maneuver. Unfortunately, youkai and hanyou have very thick skulls. The end result was the fuku-clad senshi of wind feeling like she's just head butted a block of solid steel. Kouga quickly caught Uranus by the back of the head and with his full speed palmed her head through a massive oak tree's trunk.

Sailor Neptune for her part merely stared. Clearly this youma was no push over. In her mind she was reviewing the actions of both parties. Unlike her lover, Neptune was capable of things like spin control and actually thinking things through. It was possible this was all just a really out of control misunderstanding. However, the look on Uranus' face told her that even if was, she wasn't in a listening mood.

"Feh! This is getting nowhere!" Inu Yasha grumbled from a few feet away from the two combatants.

"I don't see you helping much Guard!" Uranus snapped back.

Kouga sniffed then smirked predatorily. "She's right mutt face! Come and play with me too! Or is your leash too short for that?"

"WHAT!?" Came the reply from both senshi.

"I ain't gotta take that from some wimpy wolf!" Inu Yasha growled as he drew Tetsusaiga. His illusion spell also faded revealing his true form. The white hair; the puppy dog ears, the yellow eyes and the claws.

"Oswari, oswari, oswari!" Cried out the miko in the group.

The sight of Inu Yasha being face planted effectively brought the impromptu battle to an end. The senshi stared at the two "youma". Inu Yasha found out that Great freeze snow was actually pure, but that the dirt and loam under it tasted the same. Kagome panted, as that had been the most sits she's had to use in three hundred years. Kouga however was very pleased.

"It's good to see you well Kagome-sama," He intoned with a deep bow.

"Likewise Kouga-kun," Kagome replied.

“You know this youma?" Uranus asked incredulously.

"I'm not a youma dammit!" Kouga bellowed. "By the kami, if one more human calls me that I'm going to scream!"

"A dark general then?" Neptune tried.

"Oi vey!" Kouga groaned. "I'm not one of those either!"

"He's a youkai," Kagome supplied.

"A youkai?" Both outers asked.

"Yes," Kagome supplied. "And my husband is a hanyou or half demon. But none of that matters right now! Right now we came to settle this dispute."

"Starting with defeating this beast?" Uranus asked hopefully.

Kouga smirked at her. "You're a real spitfire, you know that?"

Uranus blinked at that.

"Actually, we should start with what you meant about something precious being stolen," Neptune enquired.

"Yes," Kouga began. "But not here. Come with me to my caves and we can talk."

TBC