InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Kagome ❯ Chapter Forty One ( Chapter 41 )

DISCLAIMER:: I don't own the Inugami, they belong to Rumiko-san... I do however own an overactive imagination...

 

 

A/N :: Special thanks to Mooman_fl and Sacred_Sagitarius for their input and BETA work. The challenges that these two set for me can only make it all so much better! And I thank you readers for your reviews!! You have been too kind to this novice storyteller.

 

Now on with the story...

 

 

 

Finding Kagome

 

 

Chapter 41

 

 

It was darker outside than Michael had any conscious memory of seeing while still within the confines of a city. Street lamps in all directions were out, even the ever present halo over the denser heart of the city had been quashed for the last hour. Could it be that Kagome's power had caused this?

 

He stood at the large living room window gazing at the shadowed world beyond, a bit blearily thanks to the swelling around his left eye. Low, flickering lights danced in the neighbors' windows, apparently from emergency candles and safety lamps. The deeply blanketing blackness that had engulfed the street held an eerie quality, yet somehow he found quite it appropriate. It mirrored the preternatural darkness he felt in his heart.

 

It was as if he had been possessed by another being, with his overwhelming need to defend his territory against the insurgent hanyou. And he had to be honest about it, he had included Kagome as a major part of that 'territory'. That, coupled with the need to protect some object that a week ago he hadn't even known to exist, had awakened a side of himself that he had not ever known was there. All that introspection during their visit to the retreat had been useless when it came right down to it. He couldn't help but wonder if it hadn't somehow spearheaded the change in his attitude. His motivation had simply been to protect what he saw as his. The cold reality was, none of it was his. Yet somehow he had become so obsessive that he could only see an all encompassing threat. He had done nothing but add more chaos to an already confusing and frightening situation. He had put everyone in danger.

 

It was as if being in such close proximity to the Shikon no Tama had been turning him into some kind of monster. A monster every bit as frightening to Michael as the beast that InuYasha had ultimately become. At least to himself. Reflecting on his behavior for the last 48 hours, he was hard pressed to honestly justify it. Any of it.

 

Not now.

 

The transformation of the hanyou had been his responsibility; exacerbated by his underhanded plotting, his need to be the one in control; ultimately caused by his refusal to concede a simple match, orchestrated by InuYasha to be fair, in order for the hanyou to redeem honor. Honor stolen by Michael's own hateful domineering attitude. He was responsible.

 

He had never been a control freak before. Where had that come from? Was it a cop-out to think that the Shikon no Tama played a part in it? That it might actually have some kind of influence on the minds and hearts of those near it? But, wasn't Kagome supposed to be keeping it pure? Or was it that she was immune to it's insidiousness because of her own purity?

 

Dismissing that line of thinking as flawed, simply because if it truly were the case, then surely Selene would have demonstrated her own hidden, darker tendencies as well. The evidence for that was right in front of his face. Selene had not changed. But he certainly had. Which brought him back to the guilty realization that it couldn't possibly have been the Jewel. It had been his own doing. He'd had no help.

 

Michael was equally baffled and amazed that he was still allowed to remain in this house. Looking back over the last two days, the worst Selene had done was make him sleep on the sofa. Why she hadn't thrown him out on his ass was a complete mystery.

 

“You should let Kagome take a look at you,” Selene whispered, interrupting his thoughts. She quietly wrapped her arms around his waist, then arched around him to wince at the sight of the shiner on his left eye.

 

“I'm ok,” he muttered, though in truth he hurt like a son-of-bitch. “She's busy with InuYasha.”

 

“She thinks you're avoiding her. She just wants to help,” Selene hugged a little tighter, and a low moan escaped Michael involuntarily. “It's bad, isn't it?”

 

“No more than I deserve, I'm still standing,” he wrapped his good arm around her, cautiously pressing his cheek lightly against her hair. “I realized something rather profound tonight. I realized just how truly blessed I am.”

 

“To still be sucking air?” Selene grinned into his shoulder. “Damn right, monk.”

 

“No, actually. . .” he kissed her forehead, then took in a deep breath as he returned his gaze out the window. “I'm grateful for that, don't get me wrong. We both would have been Demon Puppy Chow if Kagome hadn't stepped in. No doubt about it.”

 

“Then what?” He could feel her watching him, and focused on her reflection in the window. For a moment, it wasn't Selene he saw in the window. He knew that woman, and welcomed the vision like a homecoming. It was Sango.

 

“The curse . . . it's gone . . .” he stated simply, with a tone of wonder. Hissing low against the pain, he lifted his arm to inspect his palm. “It's gone, utterly and completely. . . and I have you, right here with me.”

 

“You didn't look too happy about it being gone a little while ago,” Selene mused. “Can you imagine what we all looked like? Hell, even InuYasha was ducking for cover.”

 

“Well, he was the one I intended to eradicate, after all. . .” Michael frowned and returned his gaze to the window. He spoke softly, a tone of deep regret lacing his words, “I can't believe I was ready to kill him.”

 

Selene pulled against him, contemplating his pained expression in the reflection in the window. Their own candlelight flickered behind them lending a surrealistic air to the scene. Michael had somehow become . . . not Michael anymore. But he wasn't really Miroku either. Maybe there was some kind of divine purpose for people to not readily remember their past incarnations. But at that moment in time, she felt only a sense of completeness in the knowing, and it shone in her eyes.

 

“If you won't let Kagome look at you, at least let me make a sling for that arm,” she murmured, not wanting to disturb the silence. “And maybe some ice for your eye,” she reached up and touched the bruising on Michael's cheek. “It's going to look bad for your meeting tomorrow .”

 

“Alright, Sango, my love.” He smiled warmly, this woman was no less than a saint. He had a lot of making up to do, that's for certain.“How about a beer, too? Unless you're hiding something a bit harder that I don't know about. I could use a drink right now.”

 

“Sure, monk.” She squeezed his good arm, then kissed his cheek lightly. “I'll be right back.” And she left him to his internal contemplations to gather her first aid supplies.

 

 

 

~o0o~

 

 

InuYasha sat on the edge of the bed, a foot turned up, jerking reflexively away from Kagome's ministrations as she picked at it with tweezers.

 

“Oi wench!! Enough already!!”

 

“I have to get all the glass out. Will you just be still??” She shot back, grabbing at his foot and readjusting the flashlight. “I forgot those bulbs shattered, I should have warned you about the glass,” she added guiltily from her knees as she took the light and angled it in different directions.

 

“Feh, like I'd let you carry me,” he snorted at the thought. “It's no big deal.”

 

“It is to me,” Kagome still held his foot, but had stopped her picking, the tweezers poised inches from their mark. Not moving, she stared at the thick callus which had prevented any more serious injury than he had suffered. InuYasha crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what it was she found so fascinating about the bottom of his foot.

 

“What's the fuckin' hold up? Just get it over with!” He groused. She clicked off the flashlight, leaving only a single cinnamon scented pillar to light the room.

 

“Tell me something, InuYasha . . .” she asked simply, “How did you know?” She sat back on her calves, looking up to search his scowling face.

 

Assuming she was finished, he dropped his foot, “about what?”

 

Kagome slipped the tweezers back into their case, then reached down into her turtleneck collar to pull the chain. Drawing out the Shikon no Tama, it radiated more light in the room than the candle provided, with pink and white energy swirling in on itself within.

 

“This . . .” She palmed the Jewel in front of her so he could see it. “Can you sense it? Is that how you knew?”

 

On first viewing the glowing sphere, InuYasha leaned forward, eyes wide with awe, then they narrowed as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Nothing but pain and misery could come of this. He had come seeking the life that he and Kagome had been denied only to find a continuation of their obligation. He had accepted that the duty was their's to share long ago, even welcomed it with time, as long as it meant that Kagome would be with him. He had truly hoped to make a normal life for them now. The stark reality of the Jewel she held so carefully before him confirmed that would not be so.

 

“If you mean, can I feel it. . . or smell it . . . No.” He spoke softly, pulling back from the relic warily, frowning. “You're the only one of us who could do that . . . that's why we had to work together gathering the kakera.”

 

“So . . .” Kagome studied the orb for a several seconds, then met his dark eyes questioning, “how?”

 

InuYasha closed his eyes a briefly and took in a deep breath. Drawing his feet up to sit cross legged on the bed, he considered how it was that he knew. It hadn't been any one thing, but a combination of many things that brought him to his conclusion, his realization that this was the thing everyone was trying to hide from him. He knew it had to be something big. He had truly hoped that she would confide in him, after watching her follow the compulsion to heal that woman on the pier. But as usual, he'd handled it all wrong and she had gotten angry with him instead.

 

But, he knew her. 500 years ago, he had watched as she grew in both strength and power with each new shard they found. It had been a gradual thing, then. The times she lost them, she had felt the loss deeply. Now she was faced with the full on power of the Jewel without any possible preparation. No training. To anyone that really knew her, it would be obvious. Maybe she didn't really trust that he knew her. Or perhaps she doubted his sincerity. Either way, actually seeing the damn thing in front of him did nothing for his mood.

 

“I'm not fuckin' stupid, you know.” He folded his arms across his bare chest stubbornly, as Kagome opened her mouth to protest. Not wanting to argue the point, he raised a hand and looked away, “Save it.”

 

“InuYasha . . .” her voice soft, she sat next to him and took his raised hand into hers. The warmth of her fingers closing over his own threatened to ruin his resolve to be surly. Touching his chin, she urged him to look at her. “How did you know?”

 

Meeting her eyes, he worked the words in his mind before he spoke. Suddenly his biggest concern became that he would make her angry again, and they would have a repeat of the struggle they'd had earlier in the evening. It was so difficult to control the onslaught of emotions in his human form. Her eyes, were like deep pools he would much rather swim in, his mind muddled as he struggled between thinking and the need to drink her in. She wanted an answer.

 

“That's one of the reasons I got so pissed about the thing with that reporter,” at his response she lowered her hand from his face, and he broke the eye contact to glare down at his feet. Now was not the time to lose himself in the craving her close proximity inspired.

 

Hands on his thighs, elbows out, and a scowl on his face to cover the weakness he felt so acutely, he knew he must resemble a stubborn bulldog. In reality he was bracing himself against her fury. He didn't know any nice way to say what had to be said.

 

“You've got way too damn much power . . . to not know how to control it any better than you do . . .” he chanced a sideways glance at her, still maintaining his scowl. “That meant something had to be amplifying it.”

 

Kagome's countenance fell as she absorbed his criticism. Her eyes traced the physical changes, the result of her uncontrolled reaction to his transformation. Gliding over his hands, to his eyes, she ran her fingers through his dark hair. InuYasha watched as gaze lingered on the top of his head, her expression sad.

 

Keh! She misses the ears. Go figure.

 

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, looking down at her own hands. “I didn't mean . . . didn't want . . .” She sniffed, and looked up into the depths of his dark eyes, her own brimming with unshed tears.

 

“Kuso . . .” he hissed under his breath, his eyes widening. He had been bracing for her anger, and instead she was assaulting him with her regret. There she goes again, me and my big mouth. Did she really have to. . . cry??

 

Murmuring, “Shut up, wench,” he reached and pulled her against him, arms tightening around her. “I'm not mad at you, I know you only did what you had to.” He kissed her hair, wishing he could truly pull on her scent, then thought better of it with the memory of the scent of her tears. “I'm just glad I didn't . . .” but he couldn't finish the sentence as he shuddered at the thought of the death and destruction that had been avoided.

 

He remembered the fight, he remembered Mike tossing the stick, and how much it pissed him off. He remembered hitting him in the face, hard. Then things got fuzzy. He had known that he turned because of the miserable head throb when he woke up. Somewhere in there, he remembered talking to Kagome. Dream talk. But that was an advanced skill, one that he and her predecessor had worked on for many years, and still had never perfected. But they hadn't had a completed Shikon in their possession at the time.

 

“How long have you had it, Koi?” he asked, fingering the chain.

 

“Just a week,” she responded in a tiny voice, sniffing..

 

“Only a week?” he leaned back to look at her. “How did you come by it? Did someone find it and give it to you?”

 

“No.”

 

Kagome looked at him for a long moment, her brow furrowed slightly as though she were considering something. Slowly she pulled away, and stood up in front of him. InuYasha cocked his head in question as her hands dropped, and she shyly began to unfasten her jeans. Once unbuttoned she lowered them just enough to expose a small fine pink scar on her abdomen.

 

“Kami-sama . . .” InuYasha whispered, dropping his feet to the floor and leaning forward for a better look.

 

“I went to the hospital, and they did a scan and found it. Right after I almost wrecked on the way to Momma's that Saturday,” she informed him in a near whisper. “When I almost hit you.”

 

Reaching for her, InuYasha pulled her closer so that she stood between his knees, then traced the scar with a finger. It amazed him that once again the damned thing had manifested inside her body. The line was so small, so fine, in time it would probably disappear entirely. So very different than the the jagged scar left by the centipede. Leaning close, he gently pressed his lips against it, to hear her suck in her breath and feel her stiffen slightly. Tiny bumps formed on the delicate flesh of her belly, which he found amusing. With a mischievous grin, he blew lightly across her stomach and she shuddered, then giggled nervously.

 

“C'mere,” he whispered, pulling her to sit on his lap facing him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as though it were familiar and expected, and he held her as close as humanly possible. “We're in this together, you know.”

 

“I kept asking myself, why now?” she murmured in his ear. “Why me?”

 

“I'm here now. Maybe that's why,” he brushed his lips against the warm softness of her neck.

 

So, it had shown up at nearly the same time as he had. No wonder the monk had questioned his motives. No wonder she hadn't told him right away. He could understand now why they hadn't trusted him. He needed her to trust him, to feel safe with him.

 

“Kagome . . . I came here to find you. That's the only reason. The Shikon no Tama was history to me . . . nothing more.” He pulled away enough to read her expression. “It's important that you know that.” Relief washed over him when he met her sparkling eyes and gentle smile.

 

“I believe you,” she replied, then focused her gaze on his lips.

 

Taking that as his cue, InuYasha feathered his fingers over her brow and then her cheeks, slowly drawing her into a gentle kiss. Overwhelmed with emotion, he tightened his encircling hold on her. The thought passed through his mind that if he could, he would draw her right into his own body. It was that badly that he hungered for her. It was that much that he needed her.

 

Breaking the kiss, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. “The legends tell of a temperamental, silver haired hanyou with a big sword. There's nothing about a cranky black haired human.”

 

“Keh. Figures.”

 

“Does it . . . hurt?” she asked almost timidly as she traced his ear with her finger, sending shivers through him.

 

“No, it doesn't hurt. It's just an annoyance,” he pulled back to look at her face, and noted that she looked utterly exhausted. “It'll pass, always does.” Though spoken to comfort her, he desperately hoped he was telling the truth. It was uncharted territory. Sure, he'd been purified before, but with this level of power. . . truth be told, he wasn't so certain. “It's part of being hanyou . . . gotta deal with this once in a while. I feel . . . weak. . . when I'm like this. I can't hear so good, I feel like my nose is blocked, my eyes aren't as sharp. There's a word for it. . .”

 

“Vulnerable?” Kagome offered, twisting one of his black tresses in her fingers.

 

“Yeah, that's it. I really don't like feeling that way,” InuYasha sighed.

 

Pulling back to watch as she fingered the rosary, he noted that she had an odd expression on her face. She was most definitely exhausted, but something was on her mind. Contemplating what it, might be he laid his head on her shoulder.

 

“What you thinkin' about?” he asked in a near whisper, hoping to mask his apprehension.

 

“Uh? Oh . . . nothing.” Something in her tone told him she wasn't telling the truth, but he let it slide when she switched to running a finger over the shell of his ear, sending shivers through his whole being. Pulling her close he began to worry about how he was going to keep her safe while stuck indefinitely in 'human mode'. He wasn't even sure she fully accepted him in his human form. What if it didn't pass. What if she decided to not marry him, after all. He felt a suffocating swelling in his chest at the thought that she might change her mind. Should he try to talk to her about it? Or should he wait, in hopes that it would pass?

 

“You have grass in your hair,” Kagome whispered before she nipped at his earlobe and he jumped. Tilting his head to look at her sleepy expression, he couldn't help but smile.

 

“I probably should go wash. You need sleep.” He reached back and pulled the covers, then urged her to put her head on the nearest pillow. Drawing the blanket over her, he watched as she rubbed her nose into the pillow he had used the night before. Even though she didn't realize it, she was demonstrating her acceptance of his scent, by mixing it with her own. She really was his. At least his hanyou side. “I want you to think about staying at the compound, at least until this shit passes. I can't command Tetsusaiga when I'm like this, its just safer there.”

 

“Will you be with me?” she asked sleepily.

 

“Always, Koi,” he promised.

 

“What about work?” she started to sit up, and he gently pushed her back to the pillow.

 

“I'll take you, or maybe Sesshoumaru will let us use a car . . . The jackass has a barn full of 'em,” as he spoke, he got up and went to pull his hinezumi from the dresser. Crossing back, he crouched by the bed to find that she was already breathing steadily. “Just think about it.”

 

He ran his fingers through her bangs and placed a light kiss on her forehead before picking up his phone from the bed stand. He narrowed his eyes on the rather large molded wireless ear phone. The damn thing wouldn't fit right, and he knew it. He watched Kagome for a minute longer, when it struck him that she had just kissed him and played with his ear. She made it pretty clear she wanted him with her at the compound. Maybe she wouldn't change her mind.

 

Glancing at the dancing flame of the candle, he looked down to see the flashlight on the floor. That would provide enough light for what he needed.

 

Closing the door quietly behind him, he made for the bathroom and the privacy to make his call to his brother. He was certain he was going to have hell to pay, having waited so long. Swearing softly at the wrenching in the pit of his stomach at the thought, he pressed a small button on the side of the phone and opposing pieces slid out into place, like a standard cell phone.

 

He could just barely hear the soft murmurs of Miroku and Sango in the living room. He would need to talk with them, too. Try to explain to them what had happened. He hadn't wanted to become a threat to them, but the final outcome had been Miroku's acceptance. And that had been the goal, after all. Perhaps their trust would follow, in time.

 

 

 

 

88*88*88*88*88*88*88

 

 

 

 

Ginta watched as Kouga glared at him rubbing his fist. Rising slowly from the planks of the deck outside Miranda's home, he was proud of the fact that he hadn't batted an eye when the enraged prince decked him. Sitting up, he tested his jaw then rolled out the molars that Kouga had knocked out this time. Finding his feet, he refused to meet Kouga's eyes before he spat them out over the side of the deck.

 

“I thought . . .” Ginta glared at the flickering torchlight on the sand as he searched for the right words, his stomach clenched and the sharp taste of his own blood in his mouth.. Of course Kouga assumed the worst, he always did. It was to be expected.

 

“Since when do you fuckin' think? I told you to keep an eye on her, idiot!! Not pull her into your fucking LAP!!” Kouga growled with his hands fisted, ready to strike again.

 

Kouga had returned after several hours absence to find both he and Hojo all hunched together with Miranda in front of the monitor of her computer. “Cuddled up like fucking pack mates” was the phrase he had used. Of course, he'd had no warning. He couldn't possibly have known that, for all intent, that's exactly what they had become. He had been absent when Hojo was bonded. He hadn't witnessed Ginta's pledge to Miranda.

 

It had to have looked especially bad, since Ginta had never been invited into the house before. He supposed the sight of two males in such close proximity to his mate just simply caught Kouga off guard. Not stopping to hear any of their discussion, not noting what they had actually been doing, refusing to acknowledge any attempted explanation, his mind had obviously snapped and he literally dragged Ginta by the collar of his tunic out the door.

 

“It's not like that, Kouga . . .” Ginta turned to face his accuser, bracing his back against the rail. “Hojo is doing what you told him to, we were just helping. That's all . . . nothing more.” He rubbed the damaged side of his face and finally met his leaders piercing gaze.

 

“I told him to go home and do that shit. What the Hell is he doing here?” Kouga's attention focused on the healing injury to Ginta's right arm.

 

“He needed more information, and something about a lay-out,” Ginta turned away and leaned against the rail, tucking his arms beneath him as he looked out at the surf. He didn't like the look on Kouga's face, or the way he was examining him. His instincts were warning him to flee. Somehow he knew he was in for it, no matter what he said. “You know I don't understand all that techno crap . . . I told them about the Wendigo legends and shit. He didn't know our kind have just as much history here as they do back home.” Searching for a change of subject, he glanced sideways at Kouga, “So . . . what happened?”

 

“I think I'm the one who should be asking that question. The fucking Wendigo aren't of interest to me right now,” Kouga muttered, moving to yank Ginta's arm out from under him. “But this shit is . . .What's the meaning of this?” he demanded, glaring at the half healed gash.

 

“Oh . . . that? A follow through?” Ginta murmured with a shrug, pulling back his arm protectively. “Just . . . covering your ass, boss.”

 

“My ass doesn't need covering!” Kouga leaned back and on a quick inspection through the glass door, his suspicions were apparently confirmed. Hojo had a correlating bandage on his right arm. Ginta cringed as he felt Kouga's Youki start to burn. “You bonded him? Without consulting me??” Blue eyes flashed and shoulders squared, Kouga's face reddened with anger.

 

“It was the right thing to do, Kouga,” Ginta stated plainly, willing his voice to remain steady. He'd been certain that it had been what Kouga wanted. “You've been busy, so I took care of it for you.”

 

“Fucking IDIOT!!” Kouga snarled, smacking the butt of his hand against Ginta's forehead, knocking him against the rail. “You have no clue, do you? I decide!! ME!!”

 

The breeze tossed strands of Kouga's hair as Ginta rubbed the back of his head, chancing a hooded study his leader's angry features. He was always like this after a meeting with those bastards. Short tempered, ready for the fight he'd had to avoid with them in order to maintain the alliance. Gods, but he even stunk like their hideout, stale booze and urine, laced with an undertone of decay. This pent up and irritable, he knew Kouga's meeting hadn't ended anything.

 

Ginta's eyes narrowed, his disappointment evident. “You didn't break the alliance, did you . . .”

 

“Don't change the subject!” Kouga spat back at him, then pointed at the door. “That ningen in there . . . I have plans for him, damnit!! And replacing Hakkaku isn't one of them!”

 

The mention of his brother's name was an unexpected blow. It stung worse than fists or feet, and it hit far too low and too deep to have been in error. Ginta's gut wrenched, as he reactively drew an arm up in front of his face. Kouga couldn't possibly believe that he was trying to replace the irreplaceable. But he had said it and there was no taking it back. Something inside Ginta twisted, wound painfully tight. His eyes grew wide and he raised his head. Straightening his stance to one of defiance, he glared at his leader.

 

“Hakkaku is dead, thanks to Ayame and her ambitions . . . thanks to those . . . those bastards she recruited,” he snarled angrily. “There will never be another Hakkaku.” Standing proudly, he let this sink into Kouga's addled mind. “But Hojo. . . he is my brother now. It's done. And Miranda is now our First Mother. YOU saw to that. But, you never even fucking told her!!”

 

Ginta knew fully well his criticisms would not go unpunished. He didn't care anymore. Someone had to tell Kouga the truth. His leader's eyes narrowed on him, then amazingly, he looked away.

 

“I did tell her,” he muttered harshly under his breath. “She didn't understand.”

 

“You should have made her understand, Kouga. I fucking had to explain it to her before she would accept my pledge.” Ginta scowled, saying the next words before he had fully thought them out. “You chased after Ayame's dreams for so long, you've forgotten your own,” he snarled with disgust.

 

“What the fuck do you mean by that??” Kouga growled, turning to face his unexpected accuser.

 

“You have forgotten, haven't you? It was YOU who changed the tribe's direction, after meeting Kagome . . . I haven't forgotten, want me to refresh your memory?” Ginta pressed, feeling that knot inside give way to a surge of adrenaline. It was time. Long past time, for someone to stand up for what was right.

 

“Go to hell, Ginta.” Kouga's jaw flexed as he grit his teeth.

 

Observing the reaction, Ginta knew he had stricken a raw nerve. Evidently Kouga still had deep feelings for their adopted sister, feelings that he wanted to deny. The girl they had been seeking, the one foretold who would bring the Shikon with her, was Kagome reborn. He hadn't seen her, but Kouga had, and said she had memories. Ginta had wondered if she might remember him too.

 

He had felt a terrible sense of guilt after hearing that piece of news, knowing that he had been present when Diego, Raoul, and Sam had torn up the girl's apartment. Supposedly he had been supervising, but that lot was impervious to any supervision. They had taken great care to leave nothing unbroken.

 

And the scariest part of it all, was that he had worked with them for so long he had begun to accept their deviances as normal. Being around Miranda and Hojo had reminded him how their tribe was supposed to be different. The Ookami way was not supposed to be savage and uncontrolled. That was for children. And yes, when they were children they had been savage to the extreme. Always warring. Feeding on anything and anyone they could overpower.

 

Ayame had lured them all back to that, with promises of glory and Youkai domination. Lured them into a neck deep pool of disdain from their own kind. Sesshoumaru had made that abundantly clear, and Ayame had paid dearly for her wickedness. Even after having claimed Miranda, Kouga seemed to be stuck on the same path. He had made up this 'busy work' to keep her and Hojo occupied, but after spending hours with them, Ginta was beginning to believe.

 

“You know, Kouga . . . The way I see it, Sesshoumaru did us all a favor. . . and you're too fucking blind to see it,” Ginta spoke the words slowly, baiting his misguided old friend.

 

It worked.

 

Enraged, Kouga attacked with a head butt, pushing him across the span of the deck , through a splintering rail into the dirt of the garden beyond. Landing on the ground with Kouga on top of him, he saw the raised fist and narrowly dodged the pounding, not missing the surprise on the ookami's face as his fist created a small crater in the soft dirt. Simultaneously he threw an uppercut to Kouga's jaw, and as the prince jerked back from the force, rolled out from under him springing to his feet.

 

“DAMN!! That felt really good!!” Ginta flashed a dimpled grin as he flexed his hand. “I've been eating your dust for centuries, Kouga. Isn't it about time you stopped running long enough to see just where it is your going?? To listen to what the people around you think??”

 

Rising to his feet, Kouga growled, “STUPID FUCK!! You aren't . . . supposed to. . . THINK!!” And he lunged at Ginta, who on seeing it coming, jumped to block the attack with a foot to the chest. Feeling Kouga grab his ankle, he suddenly found himself flipping into the air and away. Hitting the ground with a thud, he slid through the vegetation leaving a defined rut. Shaking off the shock, and a few stray leaves, he rose slowly.

 

“SOMEONE'S GOT TO, DAMNIT!!” Ginta bellowed, then heaved as he found his feet, “You sure as hell aren't . . .”

 

“Are you challenging me?? Is that what this is??” Kouga demanded “If so, your timing really stinks!!”

 

“NO DAMNIT!! ” Ginta waved his arms, to wipe away the very idea. It was a challenge of sorts, though not for status. It was to challenge his oldest friend to consider alternatives. His fear was that doing this would make Kouga a bitter enemy. There had to be a way to get him to listen, a way without getting himself killed in the process.

 

Straightening and taking a step forward, he tried to reason.

 

“What I want is for you to see . . . Miranda and Hojo. . . what they are doing in there, it could really make a difference. Kouga, they are opening the door!! Soon Youkai will no longer be the stuff of fairy tales, but acknowledged!! You always want to take the short cut, whatever the cost . . . So you manage to steal the Jewel . . . What are your plans for the girl? If she really is Kagome. . .”

 

“Kagome's DEAD!!” Kouga interrupted him tersely. “She's been dead for 500 years. . . The Shikon . . . WILL -- BE -- MINE!! That's all there is to it.”

 

Ginta's heart hammered in his chest. He knew he could very well be speaking his piece for the last time, if he wasn't careful. Throwing that punch had not been a good idea.

 

“Then what?” Ginta asked pointedly, his reasonable tone markedly contrasting from Kouga's roared proclamation.

 

“Then . . . no more hiding. We take the place that was meant for us,” Kouga snarled. “The top of the food chain . . . put those arrogant ningen bureaucrats in their place.”

 

Ginta moved a step closer, palms forward in a gesture of peace. “You don't need the Shikon for that, Kouga.”

 

Reading the stubborn expression on his leaders face, his patience waned, and he waved his arms in exasperation.“You're always in such fucking hurry! You don't think shit through! You say 'we', but . . . don't you mean you?? It's all about you and what you want. Forget what's best, forget who you hurt in the process . . .”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“Sure it will take more time this way, but it can happen . . . It WILL happen!! Leave Kagome nee-san out of it.” His tone had softened to become one close to pleading.

 

“That wench is not your goddamn sister, so just . . . SHUT UP!!” Kouga raised a hand and turned his face away.

 

“But . . .” Ginta hesitated, “I don't think you really believe that . . .”

 

“It's too late, anyway . . . M'noche knows where to find her,” Kouga confessed with a rueful smile.

 

“Gods, Kouga . . .” Ginta gasped. “NO!” Kagome didn't stand a chance against those bastards. He'd seen first hand how ruthless they were. They would as soon kill her as take her hostage.

 

“It's a win-win situation, really. He gets me the girl and with her the Jewel, OR . . . she purifies his ass and he's out of my hair for good. Either way I get . . . something that I want.”

 

Ginta shook his head in disbelief, “How . . . how could you? You stole that one right out of Naraku's play book!”

 

“You DARE to compare ME to THAT . . . ABOMINATION??” Kouga growled with a raised brow.

 

The knot in Ginta's stomach had returned with a vengeance. He had felt Kouga slowly slipping away over the years, now it was confirmed. He really didn't know this creature any more. Putting Kagome in any kind of danger would have been unfathomable to the Kouga he had known. This was not the youkai prince that he had grown up with.

 

“Who's Naraku?” Came a lilting voice from the deck. Miranda stood examining the splintered railing, her face awash with concern. A small gasp escaped as her eyes adjusted enough to see the havoc they had wreaked on her garden.

 

“Tell me, Kouga,” Ginta's words came slowly as he struggled to maintain some semblance of reason. Pointing a shaking finger toward the woman, he asked, “Is she next?”.

 

“Don't be ridiculous, she's my mate!” Kouga retorted. “You're fucking insane.” Then he roared at his mate, “ Miranda, get your ass BACK IN THE HOUSE . . . NOW!!”

 

Miranda squeaked uncharacteristically at the volume and intensity of Kouga's command, then raising her chin she stood her ground. Hojo approached from behind her, and she waved him back, eyes not leaving the two youkai that were faced off among her cabbages.

 

“Not until you tell me what's going on here, Kouga!” She responded impatiently. “Aegis, why are you covered in dirt?”

 

Ginta moved a step forward, warily watching his leader. “It's a simple disagreement, Mother. Nothing for you to be concerned about.”

 

“Who the Hell is Aegis?” Face contorted with confusion, Kouga glared at his mate.

 

“That would be me,” Ginta informed him, drawing his attention away from the woman. His primary concern had shifted to her safety. “Let me tell you just how fucking insane I really am. Tonight I swore my fealty to her. I've sworn to protect her, Kouga.” Ginta touched the hilt of his katana. “And rest assured, I will do just that . . . Even if it's from you.”

 

“You traitorous son-of-a-bitch!!” Kouga growled, eliciting a gasp from his mate.

 

Faster than Ginta could focus, let alone draw his weapon, Kouga reached him and flattened him against the side of the house with a roundhouse kick, followed by a left cross, knocking out more teeth. Ginta spat blood and teeth into the dirt, abstractly pondering how he now had matching gaps on both sides now.

 

“Kouga!!” Screamed Miranda.

 

“I said GET INSIDE, BITCH!!” The enraged demon bellowed before punching Ginta in the gut.

Doubling up with the force of the blow, Ginta fought for air as he considered how he probably shouldn't have pushed Kouga quite so hard. That one punch had definitely been a bad idea.

 

“Oniisan!!” shouted Hojo as he jumped from the deck to run toward them, Ginta's head jerked toward the man. No one had called him that in a very long time.

 

“Iie, mattei!!” Ginta, still bent from the blow, held up a hand to stop him, gasping, “It's not . . . your fight.”

 

Hojo froze where he stood, then fell to his knees, “Please, no!!”

 

“Submit, asshole!!” Kouga hissed, grabbing Ginta around the throat, and throwing him to the ground. Raising his fist for yet another blow, he demanded, “Or do you really want to die today?”

 

“Kouga!! Stop it RIGHT NOW!!” Miranda demanded, dropping off the deck.

 

Holding Ginta down with one hand, fist still poised to strike, Kouga looked up at his approaching mate, then snarled, “You don't mind very well, do you??”

 

“You knew that when you signed on!” She stood with hands on her hips, her hair whipping in the wind. “Now let him go, damnit!”

 

The fist slammed down, and the world exploded into a bright flash then began to spin. Choking on his own blood, Ginta turned his head to the side, and absently wondered if youkai reincarnate too.

 

 

 

 

 

88*88*88*88*88*88*88

 

 

To be continued...