InuYasha Fan Fiction / Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ Promises Under the Moon ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Promises Under the Moon

Chapter 4

The sun began to rise and the bitter cold of the cave was being replaced by a gentle warmth from the golden rays and yet the inhabitants still slumbered away peacefully. Tsume squeezed the bundle of fire that he was holding tightly to his chest. The curvaceous form fit against the mold of his body perfectly. The contented sigh that escaped that bundle at his movement caused him to wake out of his blissful stupor and take assessment of the situation.

Golden eyes snapped open and widened in disbelief at the vision. He was holding a human. Not only was he holding her, but he was spooning her like a lover. And she wasn't just any human, no she would just have to be the chosen mate to the king of wolves. He was about to retract his arms and make a hasty retreat when she seemed to sense his plan and place her arms on top of his own, effectively trapping him and causing his muscles to twitch at her cool touch.

"Damn," he cursed under his breath at the new kink in the situation. Not for the first time he questioned himself for his random acts of kindness. They only seemed to get him into jams. First was the time he saved the little brat, Toboe, and now he was stuck with the pup. Granted he didn't really mind and was actually quite fond of the boy, but that was beside the point! Then he had that run in with Kiba and got suckered into this quest for Paradise.

There was also the time that Kiba left them after Cheza disappeared and Toboe decided to live with the Indians. That had left him and Hige to the journey and quest for both their lost companion and Paradise. Who would have thought that the most skeptical of the lot would become the most determined to discover Paradise? But, Tsume knew that once he decided something it was near impossible to sway his choice.

He groaned to himself as he buried his face in the thick, dark mane of Kagome's hair. He rested his chin upon her shoulder and closed his eyes tight. 'Why do these things always happen to me?' He questioned himself for not the first, nor the last time.

A quick glance around the cave revealed that everyone else was slumbering deeply. Tsume would simply have to wait for an opportunity to present itself. He smirked when Toboe happened to gift him with exactly that.

The reddish gold wolf began to whimper in his sleep at the loss of warmth. Kagome had previously had her arms around the youth's neck, keeping him comfortable, but when she placed them over Tsume's finely muscled arms the pup immediately missed the extra warmth.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Tsume slipped away from the vixen.

Unfortunately, his escape did not go unnoticed after all for the soft laughter of the pack leader grated on his sensitive hearing. "Sleep well?" Kiba asked, cerulean eyes twinkling in mirth at the scene.

Tsume glared at him coldly, not in the least bit amused.

Kiba shut his eyes and kept his relaxed pose. "It's not something you should be ashamed about," he told him quietly.

Tsume didn't answer but rose to his feet and left the cave. He was going to try and hunt down some rabbit for breakfast since the snow had melted and he was no longer in danger of freezing to death. Mostly, he just needed to get out of the cave and away from that accursed human.

Kiba opened his eyes after he heard Tsume's retreat and sighed. He looked back over at Kagome and Toboe. "He really needs to learn that it's okay to care for people," Kiba told the sleeping form of the flower maiden that was sleeping beside him. He knew that the cold weather was bad for her health, but with the welcomed rays of the sun was confident that she would be much improved.

Kiba closed his eyes once more. He might as well relax while he had the chance. He took a deep breath and relaxed his weary muscles even more. "I'll have to tease him about this later," he decided before he lost all conscious thought once again.

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He took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air as the crisp breeze whisked his long auburn hair behind his shoulders. How long had it been since he'd last visited this little paradise?

"Shippo-sama!" Ginta ran to greet the full grown Kitsune, coming to a halt and sending dust flying into the air at his sudden stop.

Shippo coughed and waved his hand in front of his face to get the swirling dust out of the way. He smiled at Ginta. "I see you've been getting faster," he complemented in salutation.

"Ah, yes." Ginta agreed. "Come, Kouga has been waiting for your arrival rather impatiently." Ginta took hold of Shippo's elbow and began to guide him towards the rest of the tribe.

Shippo pulled his arm out of the wolf demon's grasp. "I can walk by myself, thanks," his smile didn't quite reach his emerald eyes as he was anxious to see Kouga and hear news on his surrogate mother's whereabouts.

"Of course, I apologize," Ginta amended. The two traveled the rest of the way in silence. Many of the wolves watched the pair with rapt attention and as soon as they were out of hearing range the gossip began. The wolf king's adopted son had returned. That could only mean that the queen was soon to return as well.

"Thanks," Shippo told Ginta once he pointed out the cave that Kouga was currently holed up in. Ginta was about to run off to see if Ayame and Hakkaku needed any help when Shippo grabbed hold of his shoulder, causing the poor wolf to almost lose his balance. "Sorry for the cold attitude, I'm just a little stressed."

Ginta smiled at the apology. "Do not worry yourself Shippo-sama. I'm confident that Kagome-neesan will be here very soon."

Shippo nodded his head and squeezed the older demon's shoulder before releasing him and walking towards the cave. He couldn't see Kouga, but he knew he was inside. He could smell the blue eyed wolf king. His Kitsune sense of smell might not have been strong as that of an inu or a wolf, but it didn't miss the familiar scent of forests and waterfalls on a fresh summer day that represented the wolf. Nor did he miss the thick scent of depression.

"Kouga?" Shippo called with a boisterous voice at the cave entrance. He saw no movement, but could hear the faint sounds coming from the back of the cave. Not a moment later passed before a pair of piercing blue eyes and dark hair peeked around the corner.

Then, before Shippo could even say a word more he found himself enveloped in a bear hug by his adopted father. "My boy! It's about time you got your lazy self here!" Kouga told his son as he hugged him tight. He pulled back, hands grasping Shippo's biceps and examined him.

He smiled proudly at the sight. Shippo was now as tall as he was and just as leanly muscled and well developed. He let go of one of his arms and tugged on the high pony tail of red hair in the style he wore in his own youth.

"Ow, ow, ow," Shippo complained as he extorted his hair from his father's fist. "Easy on the scalp dad," he muttered. Kouga paid him no mind and sucker punched him in the stomach, sending the Kitsune flying several feet away.

"What the fuck?" Shippo shouted, jumping to his feet with an angry expression as he glared at the wolf demon.

Kouga stood with hands on his hips in the classic 'Peter Pan' pose, his lips tightly drawn in a frown. "What took you so long?" Kouga demanded as he began to walk calmly and deliberately towards the red head.

Shippo blinked a pair of confused green orbs. "What?"

"I've been wanting to leave for days now and they made me wait on your sorry ass." Kouga griped child-like, the fierce domineering attitude he had previously disappearing and being replaced by that of a bored teenager quality.

Shippo's anger at the uncalled for display of hostility vanished and his laughter filled the cave. Kouga's ebon eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at the laughing Kitsune. "Hurry up and get on your feet, we're leaving. NOW."

The laughter stopped. "You know for sure where she is?" Shippo asked, the playful tones of his natural voice disappearing, and the longing of a child denied his mother replaced them.

Kouga shifted his feet a bit and looked at the cave floor and muttered under his breath, something that even Shippo couldn't hear.

"You'll have to repeat that," Shippo informed him.

Kouga turned on his heel and stomped to the other side of the cave and sat down Indian-style upon the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked pointedly away from his adopted son before answering. "I'm supposed to wait until the wolves report back."

"And?"

"And you're here, we don't need the wolves to find her." Kouga told him, rising to his feet once more.

"Woah, woah, dad, I'm not about to go aimlessly looking for Kagome-kasaan. We'll wait for the wolves to tell us what they know." Shippo informed him, leaving no room to argue. "Besides, she's probably on her way towards us right at this very moment and in the company of lots of good looking men."

Kouga's eyes narrowed at the Kitsune dangerously and he made a noise that soundly reminiscent of a snort.

"She'll probably fall madly in love with one of them and forget all about you," Shippo continued. Kuso, he missed teasing Inuyasha. Kouga just never got as aggravated as his favorite hanyou. This time would prove no different. But he was going to try!

Kouga began to laugh, "No, they will no doubt fall in love with her. But my Kagome only loves me." Kouga grinned at the red head. "Besides, if I could beat Dog-turd for her heart then I can beat any mangy mutt that thinks he can take my woman."

Shippo looked about to interrupt but Kouga cut off the protest. "I'm not worried. Plus, Kagome would never intentionally do anything to jeopardize our relationship."

The Kitsune conceded the point, but had one last angle to throw at the wolf king. There was nothing he loved more than riling other demons. "What about unintentionally?"

Kouga looked at the fox seriously. "I trust her." He grinned, a fanged tooth peaking over his lips. "Now don't talk about your mother like that!" He exclaimed as he rushed his son and pushed him to the ground to tickle him like he used to.

"Kuso! Stop it!" Shippo squeaked out as he used his Kitsune magic to disappear and reappear a few feet away, leaving a spinning top in his stead. Kouga laughed good naturedly.

The laughter left Kouga's eyes as he approached Shippo like a predator. "If you do not wish to face the wrath of the wolf king again, I suggest you find a way for us to leave this place so I can find my woman."

A pair of emerald eyes rolled at the arrogant wolf. "Fine, fine, I'll see if I can convince your advisors to let us leave early." Shippo looked back at Kouga as he was about to exit the cave. "However, I still think we should wait until reports come back that would give us clues to her whereabouts."

"Fine, fine, just get the hell out of here," Kouga told him turning back to his inner sanctuary to work more on his murals.

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The pack was walking once more with the destination of Paradise. The original four wolves had traveled all across America only to find themselves on the main island of Japan. It would seem that with the clues they had been following that Paradise was on one of the smaller Japanese islands.

Kagome smiled at the youth that walked beside her, mouth always moving, constantly seeking answers to questions. Unlike Shippo, Toboe couldn't be distracted with chocolate. He was a boy who wanted answers.

"So Kagome, what is the king like?" Toboe inquired, eyes wide in child-like curiosity. "Is he a great leader like Tsume or Kiba?" He pressed as Kagome brought a finger to her chin in mock deliberation.

Kagome looked over at the two mentioned wolves and laughed aloud, causing the young wolf to falter in his strides along side her. "What?" He asked confused.

"Kouga is not like Kiba or Tsume. First off," she glares at the back of Tsume's head as Kiba looked back and met her gaze as he helped Cheza walk beside him. Kiba gave her a wink of encouragement to tease the white haired wolf.

"First off," Kagome continued, "Kouga is very handsome." Tsume stumbled at the words, back stiff at the insult.

'She doesn't think I'm handsome?' Tsume asked himself, a tinge of sadness at the thought. He berated himself for the emotion. 'What do I care what that woman's opinion is?' "Stupid human," he spoke aloud.

"What was that Tsume?" Kiba asked, grinning from ear to ear at the slip out of the stoic wolf's lips. Tsume glared at him, eyes burning fires of annoyance.

"I said nothing."

"Not what I heard," Hige called from behind the two leaders of the pack.

Toboe cleared his throat, not understanding what the other wolves were discussing. "What else? Is he strong?"

"Oh yes, he's the strongest and the fastest man. He has a big heart and truly cares for others. If you need to count on anyone he'll be there." Kagome's eyes were practically shining with admiration for the man she fell in love with.

"He's not a man," Tsume called from the front, not bothering to look back.

Kagome's hands went to her hips. "I know he's not a human man, but he is a man." She argued back, annoyed to have her thoughts of her loved one disturbed.

"He's a wolf, not a man," Tsume looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with her, daring her to contradict him. Her speaking of Kouga in glowing terms was turning Tsume's stomach. He began to mutter under his breath, "Damned royalty and their mindless lackies."

"Jealous?" Kiba couldn't help but tease as he shifted Cheza's weight slightly when she tripped over the uneven terrain.

Tsume raised his hand and hit Kiba upside the head. Gold and cerulean clashed in a silent contest of wills.

"So he's a wolf, like me," Toboe realized quietly with a dreamy look to his eyes. "Maybe one day I can be strong like that."

"I'm sure you will be strong, Toboe." Kagome agreed. She noticed the exchange between the two older wolves and kicked a rock that came across her path, aiming for a certain white haired wolf. She grinned wickedly when it hit the target.

Tsume whirled around when he felt a stone hit him in between his shoulder blades. The look he gave the human woman would have caused most to cower and plead for mercy less he take their worthless lives to the grave.

However, this insolent woman had some gall because she completely ignored him. "Actually, Kouga isn't a wolf." Kagome explained. Tsume narrowed his eyes and turned back to leading the group, fuming at the woman's torture.

'Next time I'll just let her freeze to death. I don't care if she is taking care of Toboe!' He decided; crushing the grass under his feet, feeling a little better at the destruction he was reeking on the blades of green foliage.

"He's a wolf youkai, or demon." Kagome explained upon Toboe's questioning glance at the foreign word. "Youkai is the Japanese term for demon. There are wolf youkai and there are wolves. Wolf youkai are the masters of the wolves. There are two types of wolves."

Kagome paused, trying to think of the best way to explain this all to the young wolf and the other members of the pack since they were all obviously eaves dropping. "There are the wolves like you and your friends that can be both wolf and man. And there are wolves that only possess the animal form."

"But, I don't understand," Toboe trailed off, brows scrunched together in deep thought.

After heaving a heavy sigh Kagome admitted defeat. "I don't understand it all either, I'm afraid. I didn't' get to find out too much while I was in the past. I was rather busy defeating an evil force that tried to conquer the world. I didn't exactly have time for a detailed history lesson on the origins of wolves."

"Ah, Kagome, that's alright," Hige assured her as he slowed down his pace to walk alongside the human woman and the youngest wolf.

"You could just admit that you don't know and stop trying to act like you hold all the answers." Tsume told her coldly from his position as leader. Kiba elbowed the other wolf sharply in the ribs and the two exchanged heated glares.

"What a baby," Kagome muttered under her breath, loud enough for the two younger wolves to hear and causing them to laugh. "What I wouldn't do for another rosary…."she trailed off.

"A rosary?" Toboe asked.

A soft smile graced Kagome's lips. "Yes, a rosary."

"Any rosary?" Hige asked. Kagome shrugged, not sure where this conversation was leading. At least, she was unsure until Hige reached into his pocket and pulled out a rosary similar to the fanged one that had once adorned the neck of her dear Inuyasha.

A mischievous gleam entered Kagome's sapphire orbs as she fingered the rosary. 'I really shouldn't…..'

TBC