InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound to Tomorrow ❯ The Awkward Return ( Chapter 5 )

-*-

I'm in the home stretch of my senior exhibition but somehow managed to find a little bit of inspiration to write another chapter. Like I said before, my updates are going to be sporadic and entirely dependent on my extremely tight schedule, so I'm apologizing again for the delay. I'll definitely be swamped all throughout November and probably most of December, too. My family lives in one state while my fiancé's family lives in another state so we alternate each year over which family we visit for the holidays. This year it's my turn so we're heading back to my snowy hometown. We'll be busy visiting relatives so I doubt I'll have much time to write while I'm there… then again, you never know. It's a 700 mile drive north so maybe I'll be so darn bored I'll write a ton, eh? After that I'll be taking just two more classes to graduate in the spring so I should have plenty of time to write, so bear with me guys!

On a different note, I'm totally head over heels for Kaze no Stigma right now and I'm considering writing a story for that one. There's barely anything out there and they're mostly super-short one-shots.

Reader Question: Yay! I didn't have one last time and I feel like I missed out. So, I'm looking for anyone who knows a little more Japanese history. I've done a lot of basic research, but I don't have much time right now to devote to any serious history digging. Can anyone give me a brief run-down of major historical events (wars, disasters, etc) in Japan from between 1560 to 1630? I have lots of info past the 1800's but I'm having a hard time finding anything specific before that. Anything involving Edo would be particularly helpful but I'll take any events, too. Extra info will help me turn out the next few chapters faster.

-*-

It was spring. Morning light glimmered off gently shifting waters in a freshly planted rice field on the outskirts of the farming section of Edo. The scene would have been beautiful if it had not been for the colorful curses carried on the wind.

.

The wolf youkai grumbled softly to the wind; “I'm so glad to see dog-shit's territory is doing well.”

.

Kouga shook his shaggy brown head in frustration. The long, slow return to Edo had felt like one of defeat. More than six years ago when he had lost his shards to the Naraku he swore an oath to woman who had taken his heart. He would make sure that of Kagome always had safe and secure place in his den in the event that she left the little dog-shit and that when it was secure he would return to Edo to offer her a place at his side on the spot. She could always come to him at any time, regardless, but it gave him the opportunity to check in on her from time to time to make sure the hanyou was keeping her safe and happy.

.

Such an oath required him to stabilize and strengthen his lands. When word came that Naraku had been defeated he quickly organized his ragtag band of wolves together and they swept through their forests, securing and re-marking every area they could. Before that, Naraku had been such a threat that all of his attention had been forced in the devil's direction. The unfortunate side effect of that distraction had been a weakening of the boundaries of the more remote reaches of his territory. Each time he had returned home from a battle in the dog-demon territories he had been forced to face other crises in his own den. Sometimes, rival wolf packs had tried to make a move while he had been gone, other times the scents that normally warded off the more thick-headed, feral swarms of various youkai had faded from lack of maintenance. Kouga was oftentimes forced back into battle either to reassert his dominance in the pack or to re-establish the borders and drive back bloodthirsty, foolish youkai.

.

Worse, he had a tendency to return home injured so he was frequently forced to aggravate barely-healed wounds just to maintain his fragile boundaries. The past had been unbelievably difficult, looking back. It was even tougher when he had lost his shards. However, when Naraku had been felled Kouga was finally able to devote all his time to making his homeland safe again. In three years he had begun to turn things around. The gaps in the ranks of his pack had gradually replenished, his borders secured, and all rivals had been banished. He trained his new ranks to protect the humans that lived in his domain; rather than rob them blind. From what he knew of Kagome he was certain that she would not be pleased if he treated any humans in his domain roughly. She seemed to care a lot about that equality bullshit and since humans were never really a threat he decided that it wouldn't kill him to protect them. That one decision had turned out to be a blessing as increased communication with the human towns, though initially incredibly strained, enabled the wolves to have access to human blacksmiths. In turn, the availability of blacksmiths kept their protectors well-equipped with a steady supply of weapons and armor.

.

Then the feral youkai began to go mad. It started off innocuously enough. The small parties of wolves he directed to guard and re-scent various sections of his land began to return to the den with news of dead feral youkai and frenzied single attacks against humans. Kouga, concerned that the random attacks against the human villages would intensify, employed an idea inspired from word about the hanyou's current lifestyle in Edo. He dispatched a single, highly-ranked wolf youkai to each of the human villages in his domain. Once there he or she would live in close proximity to town and serve as a permanent guard against any feral youkai attacks.

.

At first the village leaders objected to the arrangement, citing their pack's past history of thefts and claiming that the regular patrols left little necessity for one, but Kouga promised that the guards that the wolves would keep a low profile, leave the humans alone, and otherwise keep to themselves; only making an appearance if a demon struck. Not long later each village relented after it became apparent that the random nature of the feral demon attack made it impossible for patrols to always be close by when it happened. The permanent guards allowed for twenty-four/seven protection without the difficulty of distance to prevent help from arriving in a timely fashion. As an unintended bonus village economies improved dramatically because the immediate assistance helped keep damages down to a minimum. In some areas of Kouga's domain the townspeople had become so pleased with the improvements that they offered permanent places for their demonic guardians to live. Things were looking up for the southern wolf tribe.

.

In the fourth year of relative peace he began to plan his triumphant come back to Edo. He trained a half year in enemy territories so that he would be completely prepared for the drag-out fight that was bound to erupt from his nemesis, Inu Yasha. However, reports trickled concerning dens of dead youkai and their half-eaten kin. No one, not even their human allies, had any clue as to why it was happening. It was disturbing news, indeed. As the occurrences increased Kouga was forced to turn to the most reliable form of intelligence in the youkai world: Kitsune.

.

Intelligent, landowning demons (including Lords like Sesshoumaru) inquired of the kitsune during the most uncertain moments in their turbulent history. Kitsune were the (mostly) silent observers of every forest in Japan. Their ability to travel incognito anywhere and everywhere had allowed them to acquire a wealth of information on the world and its inhabitants. Because of this, their calculated predictions were valued by youkai in hard times.

.

However, it was not easy to get in touch with the kitsune. In order to call one the wolves had to collect an offering of sweet red beans, rice, and tofu, along with a letter requesting whatever information was needed, and then leave it all in an area in the forest where foxes had been sighted recently. The offerings would remain out for a few days, and later the requestor returned to see the results. If the concern was deemed necessary enough then the offering would be gone and a note left in its stead, tied to the closest tree branch. If the question was deemed unworthy by the kitsune then the offering would still be gone but instead of a note left behind there might be anything from piles of twigs and leaves to booby traps. One thing remained constant: No matter what, the offering always disappeared.

.

That was the problem that drew Kouga to Edo that day. Something had gone wrong with the offering. He needed answers and there was only one kitsune that Kouga knew who did not live in a forest. His sharp nose picked up the boy's scent when the wind changed direction and the wolf demon followed it from the rice fields to the source. A group of human boys and one kitsune sat crouched behind a boulder near what smelled like a hot spring. They whispered conspiratorially to each other, completely unaware of the wolf youkai who had practically snuck up on them; though he hadn't meant to.

.

“Hey brat, I gotta talk to you.” Kouga began irritably, one fist on his hip.

.

The boys all sucked in a surprised gasp at the same time and whipped around to stare at the man. For several seconds they were unable to speak, too stunned, or by the smell of some of them, too scared to respond. Shippo was the first to regain his composure and he tried to speak in a hurried, yet hushed whisper.

.

“K-Kouga, w-what are you doing here?”

.

The wolf demon rolled his eyes, “I don't like repeating myself, damn it.”

.

Shippo blinked, perplexed, “Why would you need to talk to me?” One of the boys elbowed him in the ribs, hissed for him to keep quiet, “Ah! W-well, now's not a good time. I'm busy. C-can you come back…later?”

.

Incensed, he grabbed the kit by his collar and hauled him up, dangling him in front of his face, “Well your schedule just cleared up.”

.

Kouga was able to get a good look at the boy then. Had it not been for the unchanging nature of the boy's scent he would have barely recognized Shippo. The runt fox had grown significantly since he had last seen him; which was almost nine years. The ginger-haired child had lost much of his chubby-cheeked baby fat around his face. In fact, he had become quite skinny, more bones than muscle at that point because he hadn't grown into them. He could almost laugh. Right now he was awkward and gangly but in a few years he'd probably have a build similar to Inu Yasha. Scrawny little bastards grew up fast.

.

A splash from the other side of the boulder caught the wolf's attention and a familiar voice called out, “Is somebody there?”

.

Thrilled to hear Kagome's voice Kouga zipped around the rock with Shippo in tow. It had been so long since he had seen her he could not help but show himself. His bright blue eyes immediately found her and then bugged out of his head. The wolf wondered if he was in a dream because the woman who haunted them stood before him completely nude. Shippo froze as he got an eyeful of his beloved miko; his jaw dropped. Kagome could not speak she was so surprised.

.

A thud behind the wolf barely caught his attention but the infuriated howl that followed did. Inu Yasha had smelled Kouga at the very last minute and had immediately concluded that he had returned to steal his woman away. Thoughts of tearing the wolf limb from limb surged through his mind while he tracked his scent all the way to the village hot spring. He was completely unprepared for the sight he was about to behold. Kagome stood naked before not only Kouga, but Shippo as well and they were ogling her like she was a piece of fresh meat.

.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY WOMAN?!” He snarled as he stomped towards them, popping his knuckles.

.

Galvanized into action by his precarious situation, Shippo began to squirm and babble. The dog-demon stalked closer and the whites of his eyes began to take on a pinkish hue, darkening with each step. The kitsune suddenly remembered something and began to wave his hands hysterically.

.

“W-w-w-wait, Inu Yasha, don't come any close--!”

.

The blood rushed through his veins and deafened him before Shippo could finish. The ground beneath the dog demon suddenly disappeared down a large hole with a surprised yelp. All hell broke loose.

.

Kagome's stunned silence was immediately replaced by a high-pitched shriek as she tried to cover herself while she dropped down into the water to hide. The scream instantly made Kouga drop Shippo who in turn dropped a handful of his spinning tops. At the same time Inu Yasha tried to leap out of the trap but one of the enchanted toys bounced onto his forehead which exploded in a burst of pink smoke and became one hundred times its size. The huge top drilled Inu Yasha's skull and sent him plummeting back into the hole. The kitsune was so terrified that as soon as he hit the dirt he scurried away into the trees. Kouga cursed and sprinted after him without a second thought.

.

Silence returned to the hot spring. Inu Yasha gave a pained groan from the bottom of the hole. Fearing for her husband, the miko grabbed up her bath robe and hastily tied the belt. She ignored the fact that she had not toweled off and ran over to the edge of the hole where the dog demon had vanished.

.

“Are you okay?” She gasped.

.

A long string of colorful curse words was his only response.

-*-