InuYasha Fan Fiction / Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ Promises Under the Moon ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Promises Under the Moon Chapter 5

The pack had settled for a brief lunch.  Tsume appeared even more moody than usual and kept casting suspicious glances towards Kagome.  As he sat across from her, his golden eyes watched her every action with narrowed attention.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," Kagome informed the irritated wolf with a wry grin.  She was twirling the rosary Hige had presented her with idly between her fingers of her left hand. 

"Why do you keep looking between that rosary and myself?" Tsume challenged.  If anything, the wolf was noted for his keen observational habits.  There was a reason he was staying far away from Kagome other than the unexplainable attraction he was feeling.  It was obvious that she must have been using some sort of miko magic to lure him into some sort of trap.

Tsume was not about to allow himself to be trapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kagome argued innocently.  She glared at Hige and Tobe who were busy stifling their laughter. 

"Kagome," Kiba called the miko's attention.  Promptly she moved to stand beside him over the slumbering form of Cheza.  One of the reasons they had paused in their journey was for the flower maiden to rest and regain energy by absorbing some sunlight.  Traveling through thick forests generally made her weak with all the darkness.

"How is she doing?" Kagome asked gently as she began to feel the flower maiden's forehead noting her cool temperature.  The lack of warmth caused her to frown.

"I was hoping you might be able to try some of that strength remedy you mentioned," Kiba replied quietly as his cerulean eyes searched Kagome's sapphire ones.

"I'll need to hunt for some of the materials, but the can be found within the forest sure enough," Kagome confessed as she mentally went over the list of ingredients for the herbal remedy she had in mind.

Kiba nodded, "Take Tsume with you.  Try to be back a couple of hours before dark so we can get a little more travel time before dark."  He looked up at the sky thoughtfully, it was midday and the sun was high in the sky.  "I believe tonight is the night of the new moon, so it will be dark."

An unexpected stab of grief hit the young woman.  She remembered the night of the new moon all too vividly.  Without meaning to a sob escaped her throat.

"Are you okay?" Kiba asked concerned, he place a hand between her shoulder blades and peered into her eyes searchingly.  It was an innocent act on his part, but from Tsume's point of view it looked anything but innocent.

A throat cleared loudly from behind.  Kagome spun around to see Tsume glowering at her with accusing golden irises.  "If you aren't too busy seducing Kiba perhaps we should hunt out those herbs," Tsume caustically remarked.

Kagome fingered the rosary with a new determination.  "Fine, let's go," she agreed.  Tsume took hold of the woman's elbow and guided her back to the forests that they had recently been traveling through. 

However, the elbow he grabbed belonged to the same side where the hand had the rosary twirled around it.  "What sort of herbs do you require anyway?" Tsume demanded, not bothering to look at the vixen on his arm.  He knew that if he was to look at her that he might lose control.  He was feeling grossly possessive and he didn't appreciate the feeling one bit.

Kagome was distracted.  She was angry at the accusation in her companion's tone of voice and at the insinuation at his suggestion that she was seducing Kiba.  That man had such nerve!  She tried to focus.  "I need rosemary, alumroot, blue balm, hingu, and moonflower."

"Can that all be found here?" Tsume asked, not registering two of the herbs, but trusting that they did in fact exist.  He was hardly paying attention to when his hand slipped from her elbow down to her wrist to guide her a bit more gently.

"I believe so, if not there are substitutions that can be made.  But those would be the best herbs," Kagome replied casting the not-so-hostile Tsume a quick grin.

"Now tell me why you have that rosary and why you keep making me nervous," Tsume demanded.  He was no fool to miko magic.  He briefly recalled a story of a hanyou that had a rosary placed around his neck by a miko that forced him to crash to the dirt of the earth anytime the miko said the word, 'sit.'

An embarrassing surge of blood flushed Kagome's cheeks as she looked at the tall figure beside her with a guilty expression.  "I was tempted with the idea of placing a subduing spell upon you."

A silvery white eyebrow rose at the confession.  "You wished to subdue me because I didn't agree with you?  You must learn that you can not force others to bow down to your wishes.  I wouldn't force you to do something you didn't want.  It is unfair of you to think of doing that to me."

Kagome looked down at her feet, unable to meet that penetrating golden gaze.  He was right.  Tsume wasn't Inuyasha.  He hadn't made an attempt to kill her.  He simply didn't care for her.  She shouldn't begrudge him for not liking her.  Naraku didn't like and she never put a subduing necklace on him, though that would have been a good idea.

"And I'll hold your hand for the rest of the journey if that's what it takes to prevent any underhanded attempts by you to place that around my neck as if I was some common dog that should bow down to your requests," Tsume continued as his hand slipped from her wrist to grasp her hand, crushing the beads of the rosary between the flesh of their palms.

Sapphire eyes fell to the interlocking hands as the owner of those eyes strived to ignore the excitement she felt at the affection, even if the reasons behind it were anything but endearing.  Kagome swallowed past the lump in her throat as she tried to bring Kouga's beloved face to mind and ignore the betraying emotions she felt in Tsume's presence.

"I wouldn't dream of subduing you," Kagome answered once she finally found her voice.  Tsume released her hand and hooked his thumb into his black leather jacket's pocket. 

"I believe I can smell the Rosemary, beyond those bushes there," he gestured to some bushes twenty feet away.  "You'll have to describe the other herbs, I'm unfamiliar with them."

Kagome slid the rosary off her hand and decided to return it back to Hige.  Tsume had a point and she certainly couldn't afford to betray his trust in her.  He might not like her, but he had fueled a certain fire within the core of her very soul that she had forgotten existed in the long time since she had seen her beloved Kouga.

Half an hour later, with all the herbs gathered the pair walked back towards their traveling pack.  "You must really love him," Tsume spoke up disturbing the silence that had permeated the air between them both.

"Kouga is a part of me," Kagome explained.  "I have never felt such a sense of wholeness with anyone but him."

"I see," Tsume replied.  He was already thinking ahead to the dark hours of that night.  Knowing that it was useless; could he allow himself to become attached to this miko?  She belonged to the king of Wolf's Paradise!  How could Tsume compete with something like that?  Did he even want to try?  More importantly why did he suddenly care?  He was more mercenary than beau and he preferred it that way.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kagome asked using some American slang, as she noticed the distressed vibes that seemed to radiate from the tall, lean, white haired figure walking alongside her.  His expressionless face was a mirror of Sesshoumaru's and she had a suspicion that his likelihood of sharing his feelings was identical.

Tsume shrugged and offered a fanged smirk.  "Just going over the facts of life," Tsume answered, not wanting to lie but far from desiring to share the truth since he didn't quite understand what was going on.  He was feeling all too attached to this human.  After spending even the little more time together on this excursion for the herbs he found himself helplessly drawn to her.

When they weren't antagonizing one another, they seemed to share pleasant company.  When she wasn't causing his blood to boil in annoyance she was making him feel a passion he had never felt before.

A cool hand resting upon his forehead disturbed his thoughts.  Tsume frowned down at Kagome as she felt his forehead.  "Just seeing if you have a fever, you're acting out of sorts," Kagome replied as she removed her hand, satisfied that his body temperature was only slightly elevated.

Tsume would be eternally grateful that the night of the new moon was unusually warm and he had no excuse to snuggle up to Kagome and keep her and Toboe safe from any bitter chills.

He could use without any added temptations.

oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOO

"Can't you go any faster?" Kouga demanded as he paced back and forth within the cave where Ayame was giving birth.  Hakkaku was holding her hand, grimacing as she squeezed it with all her might.

The other women wolves glared at their king for his impatience.

Shippo cleared peaked his head inside the cave and urged Kouga to come over to his side with frantic hand movements.  Kouga stepped outside with him.  "The scouts have returned, there are rumors of Kagome traveling with a group of four wolves and a flower maiden," Shippo informed him.

Kouga's pale arctic blue eyes flashed with anticipation.  "Lets go then!"

Amusement lit Shippo's emerald orbs as he grinned at his father's excitement.  "Weren't we going to wait for Ayame and Hakkaku to have their pups?"

"She's too slow, I don't have all day.  Let's leave now, I was just passing the time anyway," Kouga answered without a second glance towards his second in command nor his Hakkaku's mate.

Reluctantly Shippo followed the rather impulsive wolf demon.  It was his impatience that often resulted in Kouga's misfortunes.  Hopefully that wouldn't be the case this time.  Besides, Shippo had this sneaking suspicion that his mother could really be in danger of something.

"You'll be happy to know I already packed a bag for us both," Shippo informed the determined figure with the dark brown hair swinging back and forth in his high ponytail.  Kouga patted his son on the shoulder in approval but didn't speak.  His mind was too focused on the task of retrieving Kagome. 

"Does your hurry have anything to do with the fact that she's traveling with four male wolves?" Shippo queried.

That statement got Kouga's attention and he whirled to face the fox demon.  "You didn't say that they were four male wolves," he spoke quietly, dangerously.

Shippo shrugged.  "Must have slipped my mind, I guess we had better hurry then."

"Nothing is going to happen," Kouga argued, but he began to pick up his pace none-the-less.  "What we have is too strong for some lowly wolf to come between."

Shippo burst out laughing, and it got harder when Kouga cast him a confused look.  "It's just, what you said it sounded exactly like something that Inuyasha might say!"

"Whatever," Kouga returned and left Shippo behind in a trail of dust and leaves.

Shippo shook his head, that was also an Inuyasha answer.  He transformed himself into a projectile disc and quickly caught up with Kouga and landed on his back, causing the wolf demon to lose his balance and tumble to the ground.

Shippo stood above him.  "Perhaps you would be interested to know which direction Kagome is rumored to be?"

Kouga didn't say a word as he allowed the adult Kitsune he adopted all those years ago to lead the way.  His mind was racing as was his heart.  Finally, after five long centuries he would have his precious Kagome once more!  He trusted her, but he didn't know those whom she traveled with. 

He didn't need anyone else falling in love with his woman.  Inuyasha was enough to deal with all those centuries ago, Kouga didn't trust himself to not maim and murder anyone else who might try to lay claim to what was his.

And the wolf king knew very well that Kagome wouldn't be pleased if he killed someone out of jealousy, even if it was justified. 

His spirits soared as he pictured his re-union with Kagome.  He couldn't wait to take her back to his cave and lay her on his bed of furs.  The image of both their long hair entwined as he………

Shippo's hands waved in front of his face, disturbing the glorious imagery.  "What?" Kouga was aggravated at the interruption.

"You spaced out there pops, just making sure you weren't going senile in your old age is all."  Shippo grinned before turning back to leading their search for Kagome and her mysterious traveling companions.