InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Genuine Desires : Koga's Story ❯ Chapter One : Prologue ( Chapter 1 )

Proogue

 

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`What will I do now?' The leader of the wolf youkai tribe thought, standing on top of the mountain where his tribe once prevailed. Now the mountain was mostly empty, since there were only about ten of them left of the hundreds that he once commanded.

 

 

He had sought his revenge and helped bring the demise of Naraku. But even still, was that only a way to put off what he was dealing with right now? A sense of helplessness and hopelessness? The feeling of just falling on his face and bursting into tears as he stared at the withering expanse that used to flourish with his people? The empty waterfall that used to be filled with the laughter of the pups?

 

 

“Kouga?” A woman's voice rang behind him, and he turned around slowly.

 

 

Ayame stood behind him, her hand to her chest in concern. Her loyal subject surrounded her feet, and her red hair, now flowing freely down her back did little to hide her flashing green eyes filled with concern. “Ayame,” He breathed softly.

 

 

She took a step forward and he flinched, waiting to hear the proclamation of marriage that she had been so anal about in the two years since he last seen her. Had it really been that long? Had it been that long that she declared her love for him? She looked to different---so grown. He couldn't deny that she had grown into a beautiful woman. “I hear you're the leader of the northern tribe,” he said aimlessly.

 

 

“Yeah,” She answered. “Gramps died a little after I got back . . . and we couldn't wait for you to kill Naraku, so I did what I had to do.”

 

 

Koga nodded and turned back around, staring out over his expanse again. Silence stretched between them, thick and tense as they struggled to find what to say to each other. “Ayame---why . . .”

 

 

“I'm getting married,” She blurted.

 

 

Koga felt himself stiffen, and he felt his nerves stand on end. “Oh, really?” He said, his voice hoarse.

 

 

“Yeah,” She said softly. “I am.”

 

 

Once again, silence stretched between them. Koga didn't think he could take anymore. He knew for a while that Kagome was going to choose InuYasha, but it didn't lessen the sting when she finally broke it down to him. He really did care for her, but he wanted nothing more than to see her happy. His heart still belonged to her---so why did Ayame's announcement make his chest swell with jealously---and panic?

 

 

“I . . . I just thought you should know---since . . . you did promise . . .”

 

 

“Ayame . . .”

 

 

“A girl can dream . . . can't she?”

 

 

Koga chuckled and turned around to face her, forcing a smile for her sake. His hair whipped in the wind, and he took a stance of strength that he wished he truly felt. “Well, congratulations,” he muttered. “I hope your happy with him,” He said, really meaning it.

 

 

Then he turned his back to her once again, trying to ignore the pleading in her eyes, the way she stared at him with that hopeful expression. “So . . . is that it?” She asked, her voice catching at the end.

 

 

“Yeah,” He muttered. “That's it.”

 

 

She didn't . . . couldn't . . . say anything. She turned on her heel, and with one last glance at the lone warrior standing atop his old kingdom, sad and alone, she took of back to her homeland, and the marriage awaiting her.

 

 

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`What did you think you were doing?' Ayame asked herself later that night as she sat in the hot springs. She allowed her hair to unravel and fall into the warm water, floating around her as she allowed the hot water to work into her strained nerves and relax them one by one. `Did you really think he was going to reconsider?'

 

 

She wrung her hands together and sighed wistfully. `It would have been so romantic, wouldn't it? If he remembered---and then we'd get married . . .'

 

 

`You knew it wasn't going to happen when you took the trip over here,' her inner voice reasoned. `So I don't know what made you think he was going to reconsider, with his infatuation with Kagome and all.'

 

 

Ayame made a face and stuck her tongue out. `She's in love with InuYasha . . . so why does he . . .'

 

 

“Ayame!” A female voice called. “Ayame? Are you there?”

 

 

“In here!” She called with a sigh, sinking deeper into the water. A young woman about her age wandered into the hot springs, shrieking with excitement and plunging into the water. Ayame winced and laughed when her friend appeared next to her, her short red hair sticking to her face, and her pale green eyes full of glee.

 

 

Her friend---Hanako---otherwise known as Han, wrapped two of her arms around one of Ayame's and sighed wistfully. “Did you have fun seeing your old `friend'?”

 

 

Ayame fell silent, looking off into the distance as she remembered how alone . . . and sad he looked. She couldn't help herself---after hearing that Naraku had been defeated, she had to see him---she had to know if he was alive, if he was the same Koga that she loved so long ago. “Yeah,” She answered simply. “We talked about a lot.”

 

 

“Was it . . .” Han took a deep breath, “a guy?”

 

 

Ayame felt a blush stain her cheeks, but she quickly nodded her head. Han laughed at her and slapped her arm playfully, a wolfish grin covering her face as she moved forward to better look Ayame in the face. “So---does the youngest and the first female elder have a future of being a two-timer?”

 

 

“Hardly!” Ayame shot back. “I was betrothed to Kai---it's not like I have any choice.”

 

 

Han rolled her eyes. “Complain all you want, but the guy is smitten with you. I would love to be in your shoes,” Han reminded her, and once again Ayame with filled with guilt. “But no need to dampen the mood! You guys are getting married two springs from now!”

 

 

Ayame sighed and leaned back, glancing up into the starry night. In two years, she would be twenty, old enough to marry. Although she had already accepted the responsibility of becoming the elder of the northern tribe. She draped her hand over her eyes and bit her lip.

 

 

`What am I going to do?' She thought.

 

 

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“No.”

 

 

Kagome sighed as she rubbed a tired hand over her face and sighed. She shifted on her feet irritably and shot InuYasha the darkest look she had the strength to muster. He stared right back, not backing down an inch. His glower was as fierce as hers, and it quickly became a battle of wills. “Ten minutes. That's all.”

 

 

“No,” He said pointedly, jamming his hands into the sleeves of the haori. “And that's final.”

 

 

“Why do you . . .” She broke off with a puff of angry breath. “Okay, fine. Whatever.”

 

 

InuYasha scoffed as turned his back to her and sat down on the ground, gazing off into the distance on top of the cliff that marked the central point of the wolf tribe domain. He could hear the faint waters of a waterfall, as well as the cries of birds that took residence on the mostly empty Cliffside. The scent of the wolves were subtly fading. InuYasha frowned.

 

Kagome smiled and sighed, knowing that this was as far as InuYasha was going to give them of privacy. He was close enough to mostly hear everything, but she knew that allowing her to do this on her own was a huge step for him. Absently she rubbed the silver scar at her neck that branded her as InuYasha's mate. Koga would sense her soon---and he would also picked up her altered scent.

 

She stiffened when she saw the oncoming tornado that marked his arrival, flinching when he stopped a couple of feet away from her. Although she knew he could detect her decision, he had never made it clear that he wasn't happy to see her. She had never picked up these emotions from his youki. She stepped forward, concern frowning her face. His hair that he normally wore tied up flowed freely down his back. He was covered in scratches and bruises. He was frail and his eyes were dull. He had lost a lot of weight . . he was a lot smaller than when she last saw him.

 

 

She felt InuYasha's concern moments before she heard him stand up and move next to her. She didn't have the strength to argue. The shock hit her hard and deep, and tears stung the back of her eyelids. “Koga . . .”

 

 

“Kagome,” He said softly.

 

 

InuYasha stepped forward, surprising them both. He swallowed a couple of times and held his hand out. “We came to get you.” He said simply.

 

 

“Get me? For what?”

 

 

“Koga . . .” Kagome couldn't manage anything else. She didn't think that he would be this bad. She pushed the back of her hand to her mouth to bite back her sob of anguish. They had heard rumors that the tribe wasn't doing so well . . . but she didn't think that it'll be this bad. Koga had changed significantly when his two comrades that followed him faithfully were killed by Naraku during the final battle. The area was surrounded with the corpses of his other dead comrades. The scent of death hung around the area, giving it the appearance of looking gloom and melancholy. Villagers had even woven tales, saying that anyone that approached the mountain would be plagued by an illness and won't see the morning. “Please,” She pleaded.

 

 

He laughed, the sound soon turning into a cough, causing his whole body to heave. He glanced around him and shrugged, and Kagome could see that he had given up---given up hope of survival---given up hope of restarting his clan. She knew they were everything to him. As he searched for Naraku with them a couple of months back, she heard him telling InuYasha that sometimes that's the only things that kept him going.

 

 

Koga wiped his mouth with the back of his shaking hand and stared straight at Kagome, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand. He didn't say a word, just stared, and she could see hundreds of painful emotions flashing through his eyes---her heart. Despite his proclamations of love, Koga had turned into a dear friend to her and InuYasha the past couple of months---he was part of the reason they were together now. It had took the input of Koga for them to reach their happiness. And although he was distraught the first couple of days, he had come to terms with it, and he had easily became part of their group.

 

 

Kagome had known that something wasn't right. When they were passing through a nearby village, she had heard of how a wolf demon had fought a whole pack of demons by himself, forbidding them from coming anywhere near the mountain. Her and InuYasha had left that morning, knowing it could be no one else.

 

 

Kagome tried to rush forward, but InuYasha held his hand out to stop her. His hand was shaking with anger, and she clutched his haori, knowing he was on the brink of tearing into Koga. “So you're just going to give up, then? When it gets hard, now your just going to roll over and die?”

 

 

“InuYasha . . .” Kagome began.

 

 

InuYasha fixed her with a glower and then swept her off of her feet. Then, he shifted her a little, making her face Koga. Then, he turned abruptly.

 

 

“If you want to die,” InuYasha murmured. “Then die---I don't care. Just don't do it in front of Kagome.” And with that, he took off.

 

 

 

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A/N

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