InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dream Quest ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

“Something's changed,” came the soft, almost inaudible murmur. Even to his youkai hearing, her voice had been soft. Sesshomaru almost hadn't caught what the taijiya had said. Eyebrows raising in curiosity, he glanced at her.

“Oh?” he inquired. “What has changed?”

Sango quickly shook her head.

“I don't know . . . I can feel it . . . but I can't quite place it. Something's changed . . . there's something . . . wrong.”

Sesshomaru paused in mid-stride. He didn't like the cryptic undertones to the taijiya's voice. Not in the very least. Cryptic undertones from her meant that something bad would happen, that things weren't the way they were supposed to be. The last time she had said that, the monk had died.

'But what else could there be?' he wondered. 'Naraku's dead. We made sure of that in the final battle. He can't come back.'

 

Still, Sesshomaru couldn't rule out the possibility. Naraku had been a devious, maniacal, scheming bastard and had made it his life's goal to deceive and destroy them. It had been because of Naraku that the monk had taken his life. It had been because of Naraku that the taijiya had become sullen and withdrawn . . . it had been because of Naraku that Rin and Jaken had died. The dark hanyou had wanted to defeat them, no matter what that cost might have been. He'd even reabsorbed his offspring in an effort to defeat them.

'So what could he have done to ensure that he'd survive?' Sesshomaru mused. 'Am I even sure that Sango's words have anything to do with Naraku at all?'

It was a scary thought, the possibility of a new threat.

'And things were starting to look up as well,' he groused to himself. 'Damn. I hate this.'

There wasn't anything for it, however, and Sesshomaru knew as much. Whatever was going to happen . . . was going to happen, whether anyone liked it or not.

'We'll just have to be prepared . . . for anything.'

Already, his mind had begun to think of potential battle strategies and fighting techniques. That was how they'd ended up defeating Naraku, after all. Training and planning.

'And that is how we shall defeat anything that comes our way.'

“Sesshomaru?”

“Hai?” He paused for a moment and turned his head to glance at the female next to him.

“Shouldn't we go and get Inuyasha and Kouga?” she inquired softly. “I mean, the pups will want to see them . . .”

To that, Sesshomaru offered her a faint but rare smile. He then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began to guide her to the village. He knew what she had meant by the pups. She wanted Inuyasha and Kouga close by . . . so that nothing would happen to them.

“I'm sure that they will,” he murmured. “However, I did promise to distract the pups for them. I'm sure they will be fine having their . . . discussion before they enter the village.”

“You really think so?” Hope flickered in her brown orbs for the first time since her brother's death. Sesshomaru gave her a reassuring yet curt nod.

“Hai. I know so.”

* * *

“It . . . isn't over yet?” Inuyasha blinked. “That's why you dragged me all the way out here? Just to tell me that? I thought . . .”

 

“I know,” the wolf whispered, placing a finger over his hanyou's lips. “It sounds stupid to you . . . but I just have this bad feeling . . . I just . . .”

He wrapped his arms around Inuyasha's lithe waist and pulled him close. His chin rested atop the silver-haired male's head, and Kouga inhaled deeply of the hanyou's scent. There was just something about the hanyou that he couldn't quite get enough of . . . something that brought his protectiveness of Inuyasha out so when that feeling of something being wrong hit him, he had to pull Inuyasha off to the side. He had to have the hanyou to himself for as long as possible and to keep him away from Edo. Whatever was going to happen, he felt, would happen the moment they reached the small village. Kouga wasn't about to allow it.

“I can't lose you,” he finally finished, his lips brushing against a fur-tipped ear. “Not now. Not ever.”

His grip around Inuyasha's waist tightened.

“Please understand that.”

For a while, neither of them spoke. They just sat there, not even daring to move. Kouga didn't want to move. He just wanted that moment to last.

Unfortunately for him, Kouga knew that he couldn't. They had pups to tend to in the village, and those pups wouldn't be content until they saw their fathers. All of their fathers.

'But I can make this moment last,' he told himself as he slipped one hand into Inuyasha's hakama. 'And that's what I intend to do.'

As he slid his hand into Inuyasha's clothing, the other traveled the puppy-eared male's chin, lifting the hanyou's head so that their eyes met. Kouga nearly melted at the warmth and affection that he found there and immediately caught Inuyasha in a passionate yet bruising kiss, which the silver-haired inu promptly responded to.

Two years.

That was how long they had endured each other. That was how long it had been since Kagome had left them, taking Shippou with her.

That was how long it had been since he and Inuyasha had finally come to terms with each other . . . and developed a tentative friendship with each other. After all, the hanyou had been a big support to him after he'd lost the rest of his tribe. Sure, Kagome and the ningens had been as well but . . . to have Inuyasha offer him sympathy . . . that had changed his opinion of the inu.

His words hadn't been much, of course . . . more of an acknowledgement of Ginta and Hakkaku's existences and their contributions than any actual words of comfort but that had been more than what Kouga had been expecting. The small traveling group had even allowed him to travel with them and they didn't have to. He knew that Kagome would have insisted anyway but that didn't mean Inuyasha would have allowed it. Inuyasha was alpha of the pack. Not Kagome. The hanyou could have sent him packing. Just as he could have sent Sesshomaru packing after the daiyoukai had lost his ward and his retainer.

He didn't, though. He'd given Kouga a place to belong, a chance to improve upon his own fighting skills . . . a chance to finally be free from the curse of the jewel shards. Inuyasha had given them both a chance when they really hadn't deserved it. Not after all of the terrible things they had tried to do to him from previous encounters.

That was when Kouga had started to learn about and notice the raw, untamed yet powerful charisma that Inuyasha possessed. At first, he'd thought it was Kagome who had kept the group together. After all, she was a very sweet and kind soul, capable of forgiving just about anybody of anything. Then it had happened, the unthinkable. Kagome had left, Shippou disappearing with her yet the other two ningens stayed with the hanyou rather than abandoning him . . . because of that charisma.

 

And because of that charisma . . . well, things had certainly gotten interesting after Inuyasha had confessed a few things about some of his . . . abilities. For that, Kouga knew he'd be eternally grateful to Inuyasha and forever be in his debt. For that, Kouga knew he'd do anything for the inu . . . including die for him.

'I won't let anything happen to you, Inuyasha,' Kouga vowed as his tongue slipped between the hanyou's lips and began to probe every inch of that hot and moist cavern, their kiss deepening. 'I swear to it.'

* * *

Kagome let out a heavy sigh as she gazed into the west, watching as the sun began to make its descent.

So much had changed, so much that she hadn't even been aware of. How she was going to handle her friends, she didn't know. She just knew that she had a lot to make up for.

'But where do I begin?' she wondered, allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks. 'How do I even begin?'

Miroku's death would need to be avenged. She knew that. Granted, his death had been a suicide but if it hadn't been for Naraku . . .

'If it hadn't been for Naraku, he'd still be alive. If it hadn't been for Naraku . . . none of this would be happening.'

She let out another sigh then turned her gaze from the west. There wasn't much that she could do just yet. Not at least until the others returned. How they'd react to her, she didn't know. She just knew that she was back and she was going to help them rid the world of Naraku once and for all.

* * *

 

He had questions. He had a lot of questions but he certainly wasn't getting any answers. Not from the wolf, that was for certain. Kouga had shoved his tongue down his throat as quickly and as far as he possibly could, preventing Inuyasha to ask his questions.

 

Not that it truly mattered. They were alone and would be alone for at least an hour or so before Sesshomaru had to finally come and retrieve them.

 

In the meantime, he'd save his questions. Save them for later.

 

After all, he was quite certain that Sesshomaru would want to hear what Kouga had to say. Sesshomaru always wanted to know when someone had a strange or bad feeling. The daiyoukai had become quite nosy about things like that.

 

`Then maybe I can sleep,' he thought, his eyes drifting shut. `Sleep would be so nice right about now . . .'

His arms snaked about Kouga's neck, allowing the wolf more access to some rather . . . sensitive parts.

 

From within his hakama, the Shikon no Tama continued to pulse . . .

 

* * *

“Come into my world, my pretty little world. It is like no place you have ever seen.
Come into my world, my pretty little world, where the sky can be whatever you want it to be.
It is a wonderful place, like nowhere you've ever been.
Close your eyes, step inside, and welcome to the world of dreams.”